Songs and Sonnets (Coleman)/Achievement
ACHIEVEMENT.
A sudden turn—at last was scaled
The summit of his aim,
The cheer went up, his name was hailed
With generous acclaim.
But he for whom they raised the shout
And wreathed the shining bay
Strove in his soul with new-born doubt,
And silent turned away.
Before his vision there arose,
Like spectres of the night,
The nameless company of those
Who perished in the fight;
The host baptized in blood and tears,
Outstripped upon the way,
To whom the gray monotonous years
Bring no redeeming day;
The hapless, toiling, tired throng
Who sow but never reap,
And through their weary lives one long
Unceasing vigil keep.
And as he gazed there rose and burned
An anguish in his soul,
His earlier dreams forgot, he turned
Back from the hard-won goal;
Back to the crowded ways to bear
The common lot again,
To mingle tears with tears, and share
Life's heritage of pain.
There, though he bears no meed of praise,
Yet, rounded with content,
He knows a joy that far outweighs
The world's aggrandisement.