We All Have Our Heroes

Heroes
For you who love heroic things
In summer dream or winter tale,
I tell of warriors, saints, and kings,
In scarlet, sackcloth, glittering mail,
And helmets peaked with iron wings.
They beat down Wrong; they strove for Right.
In ringing fields, on grappled ships,
Singing, they flung into the fight.
They fell with triumph on their lips,
And in their eyes a glorious light.
That light still gleams. From far away
Their brace song greets us like a cheer.
We fight the same great fight as they,
Right against Wrong; we, now and here;
They, in their fashion, yesterday.
~William Canton
hero
Opportunity
This I beheld, or dreamed it in a dream:
There spread a cloud of dust along a plain;
And underneath the cloud, or in it, raged
A furious battle, and men yelled, and swords
Shocked upon swords and shields. A prince’s banner
Wavered, then staggered backward, hemmed by foes.
A craven hung along the battles edge,
And thought: “Had I a sword of keener steel-
That blue blade that the king’s son bears - but this
Blunt thing-!” he snapt and flung it from his hand,
And lowering crept away and left the field.
Then came the king’s son, wounded, sore bestead,
And weaponless, and saw the broken sword,
Hilt buried in the dry and trodden sand,
And ran and snatched it, and with battle shout
Lifted afresh, he hewed his enemy down,
And saved a great cause that heroic day.
~Edward Rowland Sill
hero
Our Heroes
Here’s a hand to the boy who has courage
To do what he knows to be right;
When he falls in the way of temptation,
He has a hard battle to fight.
Who strives against self and his comrades
Will find a most powerful foe.
All honor to him if he conquers.
A cheer for the boy who says “NO!”
hero
There’s many a battle fought daily
The world knows nothing about;
There’s many a brave little soldier
Whose strength puts a legion to rout.
And he who fights sin single-handed
Is more of a here, I say,
That he who leads soldiers to battle
And conquers by arms in the fray.
hero
Be steadfast, my boy, when you’re tempted,
To do what you know to be right.
Stand firm by the colors of manhood,
And you will o’ercome in the fight.
“The right” be your battle cry ever
In waging the warfare of life,
And God, who knows who are the heroes,
Will give you the strength for the strife.
~Phoebe Cary