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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
DAVID, by MARY WINTER WERE
First Line: Why should the gay, the beautiful, the young
Last Line: Not david—but goliath paid the price.'
Subject(s): David (d. 962 B.c.); Goliath; Old Age; Soldiers; War; Youth
First Line: Why should the gay, the beautiful, the young
Last Line: Not david—but goliath paid the price.'
Subject(s): David (d. 962 B.c.); Goliath; Old Age; Soldiers; War; Youth
Why should the gay, the beautiful, the young
Go forth to fight the battles of the old,
Whose hearts grown disillusioned, dumb and cold
Have long since, dying songs of freedom sung
To the last word; and from whose harps unstrung
Dead lilies fall to mingle with the mould?
Only reflected fires can make these bold
With sacrificial ardours of the tongue:—
'In Singapore my son fell.' 'India
Holds my Beloved, slain on the wild North-West.'
'And mine lies buried 'neath dark domes of ice.'
'Deep in the desert sands of Syria
My grandson sleeps.' 'Is this the devil's jest?'
'Not David—but Goliath paid the price.'
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