quote · Legacy record
Waft not to me the blast of fame, That swells the trump of victory; For to my ear it gives the name Of slaughter and of misery. Boast not so much of honour’s sword, Wave not so high the victor’s plume; They point me to the bosom gor’d, They point me to the blood-stained tomb. The boastful shout, the revel loud, That strive to drown the voice of pain; What are they but the fickle crowd, Rejoicing o’er their brethren slain? And oh, through glory’s fading blaze, I see the cottage taper, pale, Which sheds its faint and feeble rays, Where unprotected orphans wail. Where the sad widow weeping stands, As if her day of hope was done; Where the wild mother clasps her hands, And asks the victor for her son. Where, midst that desolated land, The sire lamenting o’er his son, Extends his pale and powerless hand, And finds its only prop is gone. See, how the bands of war and woe Have rifled sweet domestic bliss; And tell me if your laurels grow, And flourish in a soil like this.
Waft not to me the blast of fame, That swells the trump of victory; For to my ear it gives the name Of slaughter and of misery. Boast not so much of honour’s sword, Wave not so high the victor’s plume; They point me to the bosom gor’d, They point me to the blood-stained tomb. The boastful shout, the revel loud, That strive to drown the voice of pain; What are they but the fickle crowd, Rejoicing o’er their brethren slain? And oh, through glory’s fading blaze, I see the cottage taper, pale, Which sheds its faint and feeble rays, Where unprotected orphans wail. Where the sad widow weeping stands, As if her day of hope was done; Where the wild mother clasps her hands, And asks the victor for her son. Where, midst that desolated land, The sire lamenting o’er his son, Extends his pale and powerless hand, And finds its only prop is gone. See, how the bands of war and woe Have rifled sweet domestic bliss; And tell me if your laurels grow, And flourish in a soil like this.
In print by 1888 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Meaning not yet available
An individual explanation has not yet been added. We do not substitute a generic description for an interpretation of these particular words.
Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Sigourney (identity unresolved)
Attribution: unknown - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1888 AD · industrial
In print by 1888: recorded in A Cyclopædia of Sacred Poetical Quotations (catalogued1888). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Cyclopædia of Sacred Poetical Quotations (catalogued1888) (1888 AD)
Page 638 · printed citation: Sigourney · subject: VICTORY
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.