Page:Canadian poems of the great war.djvu/39

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��Horace Bray

He gave his shattered dreams of youth That England might remain.

I felt hot tears rise to my eyes

When I looked at the lad ; Brave, gallant, shattered, smiling youth

He gave us all he had ; For youth so fair, so sorely hurt

All England s heart is sad.

He passed me in a crowded street,

We did not meet again ; He showed me in a sudden flash

Our England s pride and pain. And when all else is long forgot

His memory shall remain.

E hold the pride You held and now we give New pride to add unto your garnered store,

New deeds beside the old ones, meet to live And pass into our hearts forevermore.

We do not boast: but we are proud this day That we have stood the stern and sudden test;

We too have done a little in the fray, And we have given of our little best.

We too have lost the ones we held most dear, And we are linked by a new bond of grief ;

We too have fought against and mastered fear, We have sought comfort of the same Belief.

Men called you great, and feared your anger just May we too know the strength of noble ire :

As all men honour you because they must, Teach us to grasp a little of your fire.

Now we are proud, and thankful that the Day That saw your testing, gave to us our trial,

To pay the debt our fathers fain would pay And chalk the even score upon the dial.

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