O Lord, our father,
Our young patriots, idols of our hearts,
Go forth to battle - be Thou near them!
With them, in spirit, we also go forth
From the sweet peace of our beloved firesides To smite the foe.
O Lord, our God,
Help us to tear their soldiers
To bloody shreds with our shells;
Help us to cover their smiling fields
With the pale forms of their patriot dead; Help us to drown the thunder of
the guns With the shrieks of their wounded,
Writhing in pain.
Help us to lay waste their humble homes
With a hurricane of fire;
Help us to wring the hearts of their
Unoffending widows with unavailing grief; Help us to turn them out roofless
With their little children to wander unfriended The wastes of their
desolated land
In rags and hunger and thirst,
Sports of the sun flames of summer
And the icy winds of winter,
Burdened in spirit, worn with travail,
Imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it -
For our sakes who adore Thee, Lord,
Blast their hopes,
Blight their lives,
Protract their bitter pilgrimage,
Make heavy their steps,
Water their way with their tears,
Stain the white snow with the blood
Of their wounded feet!
We ask it in the spirit of love -
Of Him who is the source of love,
And Who is the ever-faithful
Refuge and Friend of all that are sore beset And seek His aid with humble
and contrite hearts.
Amen
Black side of human being adroitly portrayed and it is very near to reality.
Mark Twain is good at describing the war and terror. This poem to me means that he wants us to conquer the devil, not the men in the world. Just as Christ taught us to.
We ask it in the spirit of love - Of Him who is the source of love, And Who is the ever-faithful Refuge and Friend of all that are sore beset And seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. very fine poem. tony
O Lord, our father, Our young patriots, idols of our hearts, Go forth to battle - be Thou near them! .. a beautiful prayer for all the patriots in battle.
Well articulated prayer nicely brought forth with spiritual insight.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Jesus was the only Christian.....many apply but don't have the stuff.....some know it but just can't help themselves. Your humble narrator included