On the Birth of a Child
LO, to the battle-ground of Life,Child, you have come, like a conquering shout,
Out of a struggleinto strife;
Out of a darknessinto doubt.
Girt with the fragile armor of youth,
Child, you must ride into endless wars,
With the sword of protest, the buckler of truth,
And a banner of love to sweep the stars.
About you the world's despair will surge;
Into defeat you must plunge and grope.
Be to the faltering an urge;
Be to the hopeless years a hope!
Be to the darkened world a flame;
Be to its unconcern a blow
For out of its pain and tumult you came,
And into its tumult and pain you go.
-- Louis Untermeyer. 1885
Wow, what a great poem!
Here’s one of my other favorite bits along those lines.
Cradlesong
Sing a cradle-song now, as the light fades around us
And you breathe like the ocean, lying small in my arms
See it all in a moment – you so young and unclouded
Shining bright as a lion – feel the motion of time
As the world rolls away from the sun.
I can feel your life burning – unlived moments within you
Further than I can see…
May the fire be your friend and the sea rock you gently,
May the moon light your way – till the wind sets you free
I remember your face as you cried for the first time
The cold air of the world and the fierce light of day
And the cruel separation in a world washed with tears;
Numbed with pain to unfeeling – May you hold to your truth
As you walk the dark night of unreason
The stone walls which surround us – may your spirit fly round them
Like the wind from the sea…
May the fire be your friend and the sea rock you gently,
May the moon light your way – till the wind sets you free
May you never know hunger: may you love with a full heart –
The light stay in your eyes…
May the fire be your friend and the sea rock you gently,
May the moon light your way – till the wind sets you free
May the fire be your friend and the sea rock you gently,
May the moon light your way – till the wind sets you free
–Barry Andrews, 1986