English poem
'Twas Ever Thus
by Abner Cosens
November, 1916
O preacher, prophet, martyr, sage, Whose message falls on heedless ears, Bethink that unrepentant age When Noah preached for six score years; See Israel to Baal bowed, The persecuting Pharisee, And all the loaves and fishes crowd Beside the sea of Galilee.
O patriot of humble birth, With heart to help a fellow man, To reconstruct the things of earth Upon a nobler, wiser plan; The curse that mars the lowly born Will dog your footsteps till your death, The proud Judeans' words of scorn, "No good thing comes from Nazareth."
O mother, when your son lies dead, You hate this cruel world of blood, You pay the price, with grief bowed head, The age-old price of motherhood. 'Twas thus Eve mourned o'er Abel's loss, Naomi grieved in tents of Shem, 'Twas thus she wept beside the cross Who bore a son in Bethlehem.
O soldier with the shattered breast, Beside the shell-swept Flanders road, The One who gives the weary rest Knows all the burden of your load. The anguished thirst, the bitter pain, A Father's face He could not see, The hate of man, sin's awful stain, He bore them all on Calvary.