"By-and-by," the maiden sighed -- "by-and-by He will claim me for his bride, Hope is strong and time is fleet; Youth is fair, and love is sweet. Clouds will pass that fleck my sky. He will come back by-and-by -- by-and-by." "By-and-by," the soldier said -- "by-and-by, After I have fought and bled, I shall go home from the wars, Crowned with glory, seamed with scars. Joy will flash from some one's eye When she greets me by-and-by -- by-and-by." "By-and-by," the mother cried -- "by-and-by, Strong and sturdy at my side, Like a staff supporting me, Will my bonnie baby be. Break my rest, then, wail and cry -- Thou'lt repay me by-and-by -- by-and-by." Fleeting years of time have sped -- hurried by -- Still the maiden is unwed; All unknown the soldier lies, Buried under alien skies; And the son, with blood-shot eye Saw his mother starve and die. God in Heaven! dost Thou on high, Keep the promiscd by-and-by -- by-and-by? | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...TWO POEMS FROM THE WAR: 1 by ARCHIBALD MACLEISH EPITAPHS OF THE WAR, 1914-18: THE COWARD by RUDYARD KIPLING ST. JOHN'S, CAMBRIDGE; SONNET by HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW JOY OF THE MORNING by EDWIN MARKHAM RIDDLE: SEWING NEEDLE AND THREAD by MOTHER GOOSE EPITAPH FOR ONE WHO WOULD NOT BE BURIED IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY by ALEXANDER POPE |