The Old Soldier
Katharine Tynan 1861 (Ireland) – 1931
Lest the young soldiers be strange in heaven,
God bids the old soldier they all adored
Come to Him and wait for them, clean, new-shriven,
A happy doorkeeper in the House of the Lord.
Lest it abash them, the strange new splendour,
Lest it affright them, the new robes clean;
Here's an old face, now, long-tried, and tender,
A word and a hand-clasp as they troop in.
'My boys,' he greets them: and heaven is homely,
He their great captain in days gone o'er;
Dear is the friend's face, honest and comely,
Waiting to welcome them by the strange door.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 17, 2023
- 31 sec read
- 108 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABAB CXCX DCDC |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 543 |
Words | 103 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4 |
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"The Old Soldier" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/25056/the-old-soldier>.
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