The Young Warrior
James Weldon Johnson 1871 (Jacksonville) – 1938 (Wiscasset)
Mother, shed no mournful tears,
But gird me on my sword;
And give no utterance to thy fears,
But bless me with thy word.
The lines are drawn! The fight is on!
A cause is to be won!
Mother, look not so white and wan;
Give Godspeed to thy son.
Now let thine eyes my way pursue
Where'er my footsteps fare;
And when they lead beyond thy view,
Send after me a prayer.
But pray not to defend from harm,
Nor danger to dispel;
Pray, rather, that with steadfast arm
I fight the battle well.
Pray, mother of mine, that I always keep
My heart and purpose strong,
My sword unsullied and ready to leap
Unsheathed against the wrong.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 36 sec read
- 158 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | XXXX ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 607 |
Words | 121 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
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"The Young Warrior" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/20745/the-young-warrior>.
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