After the FightBy Mary O’Reilly(Chicago school teacher. Writer and speaker on labor questions. The following poem was written for “Life and Labor.”)
By Mary O’Reilly
(Chicago school teacher. Writer and speaker on labor questions. The following poem was written for “Life and Labor.”)
A lull in the struggle,A truce in the fight,The whirr of machinesAnd the dearly-bought rightJust to labor for bread,—Just to work and be fed.For this we have marchedThrough the snow-covered street;Have borne our dead comradesWhile muffled drums beat.It is thus we have foughtFor this boon dearly bought.We measure our gainBy the price we have paid.Call the victory greatAs the struggle we made.For we struggled to grow,And we won. And we know....Together we sufferedThe weary weeks past;Together we won,And together at lastAs we learn our own might,We shall win thegreatfight.A lull in the struggle,A truce in the fight,The whirr of machinesAnd the dearly-bought rightJust to labor for bread,—Just to work and be fed!
A lull in the struggle,A truce in the fight,The whirr of machinesAnd the dearly-bought rightJust to labor for bread,—Just to work and be fed.For this we have marchedThrough the snow-covered street;Have borne our dead comradesWhile muffled drums beat.It is thus we have foughtFor this boon dearly bought.We measure our gainBy the price we have paid.Call the victory greatAs the struggle we made.For we struggled to grow,And we won. And we know....Together we sufferedThe weary weeks past;Together we won,And together at lastAs we learn our own might,We shall win thegreatfight.A lull in the struggle,A truce in the fight,The whirr of machinesAnd the dearly-bought rightJust to labor for bread,—Just to work and be fed!
A lull in the struggle,A truce in the fight,The whirr of machinesAnd the dearly-bought rightJust to labor for bread,—Just to work and be fed.
A lull in the struggle,
A truce in the fight,
The whirr of machines
And the dearly-bought right
Just to labor for bread,—
Just to work and be fed.
For this we have marchedThrough the snow-covered street;Have borne our dead comradesWhile muffled drums beat.It is thus we have foughtFor this boon dearly bought.
For this we have marched
Through the snow-covered street;
Have borne our dead comrades
While muffled drums beat.
It is thus we have fought
For this boon dearly bought.
We measure our gainBy the price we have paid.Call the victory greatAs the struggle we made.For we struggled to grow,And we won. And we know....
We measure our gain
By the price we have paid.
Call the victory great
As the struggle we made.
For we struggled to grow,
And we won. And we know....
Together we sufferedThe weary weeks past;Together we won,And together at lastAs we learn our own might,We shall win thegreatfight.
Together we suffered
The weary weeks past;
Together we won,
And together at last
As we learn our own might,
We shall win thegreatfight.
A lull in the struggle,A truce in the fight,The whirr of machinesAnd the dearly-bought rightJust to labor for bread,—Just to work and be fed!
A lull in the struggle,
A truce in the fight,
The whirr of machines
And the dearly-bought right
Just to labor for bread,—
Just to work and be fed!