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Poem
July 22, 1864
The Liberator
Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
What is this article about?
A devotional poem by Horace Greeley, affirming faith in God's light amid darkness, oppression, tyranny, division, and war, asserting that only good, right, truth, and love will ultimately survive. Dated New York, May 1, 1864.
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Full Text
Poetry.
LIGHT IN DARKNESS.
BY HORACE GREELEY.
I.
O, God! our way through darkness leads,
But Thine is living light;
Teach us to feel that Day succeeds
To each slow-wearing Night;
Make us to know, though Pain and Woe
Beset our mortal lives,
That Ill at last in death lies low,
And only Good survives.
II.
Too long th' oppressor's iron heel
The saintly brow has pressed;
Too oft the tyrant's murd'rous steel
Has pierced the guiltless breast;
Yet in our souls the seed shall lie,
Till Thou shalt bid it thrive,
Of steadfast faith that Wrong shall die,
And only Right survive.
III.
We walk in shadow: thickest walls
Do man from man divide;
Our brothers spurn our tenderest calls
Our holiest aims deride:
Yet though fell Craft, with fiendish thought,
Its subtle web contrives,
Still Falsehood's textures shrink to naught
And only Truth survives.
IV.
Wrath clouds our sky; War lifts on high
His flag of crimson stain;
Each monstrous birth o'erspreads the earth
In Battle's gory train;
Yet still we trust in God the Just,
Still keep our faith alive.
That, 'neath Thine eye all Hate shall die
And only Love survive
New York, May 1, 1864.
LIGHT IN DARKNESS.
BY HORACE GREELEY.
I.
O, God! our way through darkness leads,
But Thine is living light;
Teach us to feel that Day succeeds
To each slow-wearing Night;
Make us to know, though Pain and Woe
Beset our mortal lives,
That Ill at last in death lies low,
And only Good survives.
II.
Too long th' oppressor's iron heel
The saintly brow has pressed;
Too oft the tyrant's murd'rous steel
Has pierced the guiltless breast;
Yet in our souls the seed shall lie,
Till Thou shalt bid it thrive,
Of steadfast faith that Wrong shall die,
And only Right survive.
III.
We walk in shadow: thickest walls
Do man from man divide;
Our brothers spurn our tenderest calls
Our holiest aims deride:
Yet though fell Craft, with fiendish thought,
Its subtle web contrives,
Still Falsehood's textures shrink to naught
And only Truth survives.
IV.
Wrath clouds our sky; War lifts on high
His flag of crimson stain;
Each monstrous birth o'erspreads the earth
In Battle's gory train;
Yet still we trust in God the Just,
Still keep our faith alive.
That, 'neath Thine eye all Hate shall die
And only Love survive
New York, May 1, 1864.
What sub-type of article is it?
Hymn
Ode
What themes does it cover?
Religious Faith
Moral Virtue
War Military
What keywords are associated?
Faith In God
Oppression Tyranny
War Hatred
Truth Love
Moral Survival
Civil War Era
What entities or persons were involved?
By Horace Greeley
Poem Details
Title
Light In Darkness
Author
By Horace Greeley
Form / Style
Four Stanzas In Rhymed Quatrains
Key Lines
O, God! Our Way Through Darkness Leads,
But Thine Is Living Light;
Of Steadfast Faith That Wrong Shall Die,
And Only Right Survive.
Still Falsehood's Textures Shrink To Naught
And Only Truth Survives.
That, 'Neath Thine Eye All Hate Shall Die
And Only Love Survive