Poem: “The Things That Make A Soldier Great” by Edgar A. Guest

A Heap o’ Livin’

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American Literature – American Poetry – Edgar A. Guest – Poems by Edgar A. Guest – A Heap o’ Livin’
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The Things That Make A Soldier Great

The things that make a soldier great and send
     him out to die,
  To face the flaming cannon’s mouth nor ever
     question why,
  Are lilacs by a little porch, the row of tulips
     red,
  The peonies and pansies, too, the old petunia bed,
  The grass plot where his children play, the roses
     on the wall:
  ‘Tis these that make a soldier great. He’s fighting
     for them all.

  ‘Tis not the pomp and pride of kings that make
     a soldier brave;
  ‘Tis not allegiance to the flag that over him may
     wave;
  For soldiers never fight so well on land or on
     the foam
  As when behind the cause they see the little
     place called home.
  Endanger but that humble street whereon his
     children run,
  You make a soldier of the man who never bore
     a gun.

  What is it through the battle smoke the valiant
     solider sees?
  The little garden far away, the budding apple
     trees,
  The little patch of ground back there, the children
     at their play,
  Perhaps a tiny mound behind the simple church
     of gray.
  The golden thread of courage isn’t linked to
     castle dome
  But to the spot, where’er it be—the humblest spot
     called home.

  And now the lilacs bud again and all is lovely
     there
  And homesick soldiers far away know spring
     is in the air;
  The tulips come to bloom again, the grass
     once more is green,
  And every man can see the spot where all his
     joys have been.
  He sees his children smile at him, he hears the
     bugle call,
  And only death can stop him now—he’s fighting
     for them all.

< < < The Price Of Joy
The Joy Of A Dog > > >

American Literature – American Poetry – Edgar A. Guest – Poems by Edgar A. Guest – A Heap o’ Livin’

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