To a Sorrowing Mother

You hide your grief, Mother,
But in lonely twilight times
You silently weep for another
Who is dead.

Alone, you mourn thus;
That he, whose only dirge was the wind,
Should be unwept by us
Who laugh:

That we should coarsely sing
In selfish merriment, unheeding,
Thoughtless of a thing
Like his death.

But, ah ! Sorrowing Mother,
Can we not also smile and hide
Our grief, who mourn a brother—
Secretly ?

Media: <html xmlns:tei="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0"><body><h1 align="center" class="head">To a Sorrowing Mother</h1><div class="stanza"><p class="line">You hide your grief, Mother,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:%">But in lonely twilight times</p><p class="line">You silently weep for another</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:%">Who is dead.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">Alone, you mourn thus;</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:%">That he, whose only dirge was the wind,</p><p class="line">Should be unwept by us</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:%">Who laugh:</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">That we should coarsely sing</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:%">In selfish merriment, unheeding,</p><p class="line">Thoughtless of a thing</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:%">Like his death.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">But, ah ! Sorrowing Mother,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:%">Can we not also smile and hide</p><p class="line">Our grief, who mourn a brother—</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:%">Secretly ?</p></div></body></html>