Page:More songs by the fighting men, soldier poets, second series, 1917.djvu/138

More Songs by the Fighting Men

We rang for the coming of souls to earth,

We rang the joy of children's birth;

We rocked and carolled the young life in,

A holy carol to ward off sin.

Our notes flew over the grey old town

In a helter-skelter, by the wind blown

Higher and higher, and mingled at last

With the songs of souls whose purging is past;

And then together we and they

To the great Maker of Life would pray

That the life might be blessed that was born that day.

Sadly we tolled the old life out

That was done with laughter and tears and doubt.

Silverly clear, when the moon sailed by

And the tides of life throbbed stormy and high.

We sang of faith and nerve and thew

To meet the devil and wrestle through.

We rang of peace and we rang good-will

On the Christ-child's day, so ghostly-still;

When, dumbed with snow, the village street

No answer made to passing feet. 134