JAMES ROBERTS - SHE STANDS THERE PALE

An anti war poem based on the story of andromache wife of hector who's son was torn from her arms and thrown from the battlements of troy.She was then sold into slavery. THE STORY HAS BEEN REPEATED MANY TIMES IN THE LAST 4000 YRS

SHE STANDS THERE PALE

She stands as pale as Pallas statues stand;

Like Andromache when she turned away

And felt her strength above the Archaen sway,

While Astynax was pulled from her hands

Her face turned steadfast towards the shadowy land,

For dim beyond it looms the light of day;

Her feet are steadfast; all the arduous way

That foot-track hath not wavered across the sand

As defeat and exile hold her in sway

She stands there like a beacon thro' the night,
A pale clear beacon where the storm-drift is;
She stands alone, a wonder deathly white;
She stands there patient, nerved with inner might,
Indomitable in her feebleness,
Her face standing out against the light.
For all Humanity to see
That war was never meant to be

JAMES ROBERTS

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/she-stands-there-pale/