The Heart of a Boy

Item

The Heart of a Boy

To Mrs. Guy Wyndham

The heart of a boy is full of light,

Naked of self, quite pure and clean,

No shadows lurk in it: it is bright

Where God Himself hath been.

I looked in a boy's heart and saw

How its desire was white desire,

Burning upward, as winds might draw

The flame of a candle higher.

What was the heart's desire that burned

Like a white candle stirred in a breeze?

Power or glory or honour earned?

Love that is more than these?

The heart of a boy has but one goal.

The flying Danger smiles as she flies,

Makes her own of him, heart and soul,

With the lure of her lovely eyes.

The boy's heart now is set on a star,

A sword for the weak against the strong,

A young knight riding forth to the War

Who dies to right the wrong.

Title
The Heart of a Boy
Identifier
greatwar_holywar007
Item sets
The Holy War
Media
<html xmlns:tei="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0"><body><h1 align="center" class="head">The Heart of a Boy</h1><h1 align="center" class="head"><em>To Mrs. Guy Wyndham</em></h1><div class="stanza"><p class="line"><span class="smallcaps">The</span> heart of a boy is full of light,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Naked of self, quite pure and clean,</p><p class="line">No shadows lurk in it: it is bright</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Where God Himself hath been.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">I looked in a boy's heart and saw</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">How its desire was white desire,</p><p class="line">Burning upward, as winds might draw</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">The flame of a candle higher.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">What was the heart's desire that burned</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Like a white candle stirred in a breeze?</p><p class="line">Power or glory or honour earned?</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Love that is more than these?</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">The heart of a boy has but one goal.</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">The flying Danger smiles as she flies,</p><p class="line">Makes her own of him, heart and soul,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">With the lure of her lovely eyes.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">The boy's heart now is set on a star,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">A sword for the weak against the strong,</p><p class="line">A young knight riding forth to the War</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Who dies to right the wrong.</p></div></body></html>