Latest quotes | Random quotes | Vote! | Latest comments | Submit quote

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

In The Night

In the silent midnight watches,
When the earth was clothed in gloom,
And the grim and awful darkness
Crept unbidden to my room-
On the solemn, deathly stillness
Of the night, there broke a sound,
Like ten million wailing voices
Crying loudly from the ground.


From ten million graves came voices,
East and West, and North and South,
Leagues apart, and yet together
Spake they, e'en as with one mouth:
'Men and women! men and women!'
Cried these voices from the ground,
And the very earth was shaken
With the strange and awful sound-


'Ye who weep in selfish sorrow,
Ye who laugh in selfish mirth,
Hark! and listen for a moment
To the voices from the earth:
Wake and listen! ye who slumber,
Pause and listen! ye who feast,
To the warning of the voices
From the graves in West and East.


'We, the victims of a demon,
We, who one, and each, and all,
Can cry out before high heaven,
'We are slain by alcohol!'-
We would warn you, youths and maidens,
From the path that we have trod-
From the path that leads
to
ruin,
And away from peace and God.


'We, the millions who have fallen,
Warn you from the ruddy glow
Of the wine in silver goblets,
For
destruction
lies below.
Wine and gin, and rum and brandy,
Whiskey, cider, ale, and beer,

[...] Read more

poem by Report problemRelated quotes
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!

Share

Related quotes

Couldn't select: Can't find FULLTEXT index matching the column list