Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE CATHEDRAL, by WILLIAM G. SHAKESPEARE


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE CATHEDRAL, by                    
First Line: Hope and mirth are gone. Beauty is departed
Last Line: Forgiving, praying, singing, feeling sorry.
Alternate Author Name(s): S., W. G.
Subject(s): Death; Soldiers' Writings; World War I; Dead, The; First World War


HOPE and mirth are gone. Beauty is departed.
Heaven's hid in smoke, if there's Heaven still.
Silent the city, friendless, broken-hearted,
Crying in quiet as a widow will.
Oh, for the sound here of a good man's laughter,
Of one blind beggar singing in the street,
Where there's no sound, excepting a blazing rafter
Falls, or the patter of a starved dog's feet.

I have seen Death, and comrades' crumbled faces,
Yea, I have closed dear eyes with half a smile;
But horror's in this havoc of old places
Where driven men once rested from their hurry,
And girls were happy for a little while,
Forgiving, praying, singing, feeling sorry.





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