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The Countess Kathleen and Various Legends and Lyrics/The Rose of Peace

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For works with similar titles, see The Rose.
The Rose of Peace (1892)
by William Butler Yeats

Written in 1892 and published in The Countess Kathleen and Various Legends and Lyrics. Included in The Rose collection (1893).

1703360The Rose of Peace1892William Butler Yeats

If Michael, leader of God’s host
When Heaven and Hell are met,
Look’d down on you from Heaven’s door-post
He would his deeds forget.

Brooding no more upon God’s wars
In his Divine homestead,
He would go weave out of the stars
A chaplet for your head.

And all folk seeing him bow down,
And white stars tell your praise,
Would come at last to God’s great town,
Led on by gentle ways;

And God would bid his warfare cease.
Saying all things were well;
And softly make a rosy peace,
A peace of Heaven with Hell.


This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.


The longest-living author of this work died in 1939, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 84 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

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