<html xmlns:tei="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0"><body><h1 align="center" class="head">The Airman</h1><div class="stanza"><p class="line"><span class="smallcaps">Wild</span> wind, and drear, beneath the pale stars blowing,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Whom do you hunt to-night?</p><p class="line">Out of the west into the storm-cloud glowing</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">A biplane wings her flight.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">In the grey day-dawn was there no returning,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">No homewards for the dead: --</p><p class="line">Only a broken wing, a biplane burning,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">A shattered airship shed!</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">O Nation proud, on whose red altar gladly</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">One more young Life is laid,</p><p class="line">Scatter the news -- flutter the posters madly --</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">"Triumph of British raid!"</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">What of the Cross they brought to her -- his Mother?</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Wanly her dumb lips smiled,</p><p class="line">Then whispered: "Give back <em>him</em> -- I had no other --</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">My Son -- my only child."</p></div><p class="byline">-- Gregg Goddard.</p></body></html> · Great War