Until The Dawn

Edith Nesbit 1858 (Kennington, Surrey ) – 1924 (New Romney, Kent)



WHEN head and hands and heart alike are weary;
When Hope with folded wings sinks out of sight;
When all thy striving fails to disentangle
From out wrong's skein the golden thread of right;
When all thy knowledge seems a marsh-light's glimmer,
That only shows the blackness of the night;

In the dark hour when victory seems hopeless,
Against thy lance when armies are arrayed,
When failure writes itself upon thy forehead,
By foes outnumbered and by friends betrayed;
Still stand thou fast, though faith be bruised and wounded,
Still face thy future, still be undismayed!

While one true man speaks out against injustice,
While through men's chorused 'Right!' clear rings his 'Wrong!'

Freedom still lives. One day she will reward him
Who trusted in her though she tarried long,
Who held her creed, was faithful till her coming,
Who, for her sake, strove, suffered, and was strong.

She will bring crowns for those who love and serve her;
If thou canst live for her, be satisfied;
If thou canst die for her, rejoice! Our brothers
At least shall crown our graves and say, 'These died
Believing in the sun when night was blackest,
And by our dawn their faith is justified!'

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:02 min read
86

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXABA XCXCXA XD XDXD BEXEXE
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,175
Words 207
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 2, 4, 6

Edith Nesbit

Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland) was an English author and poet; she published her books for children under the name of E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 books of children's literature. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation later affiliated to the Labour Party. more…

All Edith Nesbit poems | Edith Nesbit Books

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