Beyond the Hills of Dream

by William Wilfred Campbell

 

Afterglow

 
AFTER the clangor of battle,
There comes a moment of rest,
And the simple hopes and the simple joys
And the simple thoughts are best.
 
After the victor’s pæan,
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After the thunder of gun,
There comes a lull that must come to all
Before the set of the sun.
 
Then what is the happiest memory?
Is it the foe’s defeat?
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Is it the splendid praise of a world
That thunders by at your feet?
 
Nay, nay, to the life-worn spirit
The happiest thoughts are those
That carry us back to the simple joys
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And the sweetness of life’s repose. 

A simple love and a simple trust
And a simple duty done
Are truer torches to light to death
Than a whole world’s victories won.
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