The Three Voices

A WAILING voice comes up a desolate road,
Drearily, drearily, drearily!
Where mankind have trodden the by-way of blood,
Wearily, wearily, wearily!

Like a sound from the Dead Sea all shrouded in glooms
With breaking of hearts, fetters clanking, men groan-
ing,
Or chorus of Ravens, that croak among tombs,
It comes with the mournfullest moaning:
" Weep, weep, weep!"
Yoke-fellows, listen,
Till tearful eyes glisten:
'Tis the voice of the Past: the dark, grim-featured
Past,
All sad as the shriek of the midnight blast:

Weep, weep, weep,
Tears to wash out the red, red stain,
Where earth hath been fatted
By brave hearts that rotted,
And life ran a deluge of hot, bloody rain:
Weep, weep, weep.

Another voice comes from the millions that bend,
Tearfully, tearfully, tearfully!

From hearts which the scourges of slavery rend,
Fearfully, fearfully, fearfully!

From many a worn, noble spirit that breaks,
In the world's solemn shadows adown in Life's
valleys,
From Mine, Forge, and Loom, trumpet-tongued it
awakes,
On the soul wherein Liberty rallies:

" Work, work, work!"
Yoke-fellows, listen,
Till earnest eyes glisten:

"Tis the voice of the Present. It bids us, my brothers,
Be Freemen: and then for the freedom of others
Work, work, work!

For the Many, a holocaust long to the Few:
O work while ye may!
O work while 'tis day!
And cling to each other, united and true:
Work, work, work.

There cometh another voice sweetest of all,
Cheerily, cheerily, cheerily!
And my heart leapeth up at its glorious call,
Merrily, merrily, merrily!
Ifc comes like the soft touch of Spring-tide, un warping
The frost of oppression that bound us:
It comes like a choir of the Seraphim, harping
Their gladsomest music around us:

" Hope, hope, hope!"
Yoke-fellows, listen,
Till gleeful eyes glisten:

'Tis the voice of the Future, the sweetest of all,
That makes the heart leap to its glorious call.
Hope, hope, hope!

Brothers, step forth in the Future's van,
For the worst is past,
Right conquers at last,
And the better day dawns upon suffering man:
Hope, hope, hope!