The Innocents

Peter McArthur 1866 (Ekfrid Township) – 1924 (London, Ontario)



To make perfect the heaven of mothers
The little children die,
For what care they for the praise of God
Who have sung a lullaby?

The arms that have ached with nursing
Would ache with their emptiness
Were there no little children
To fondle and caress.

And while the saints and angels
Sing loud in adoring throngs,
God hears the mothers and children
Singing their crooning songs.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

20 sec read
111

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXA XXBX XCBC
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 383
Words 69
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4

Peter McArthur

Peter Gilchrist McArthur (March 10, 1866 – October 28, 1924) was a farmer and writer in Ontario. more…

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