Explore "John Brown" by James Whitcomb Riley on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
Writ in between the lines of his life-deed / We trace the sacred service of a heart / Answering the Divine command, in every part / Bearing on human weal: His love did feed / The loveless; and his gentle hands did lead / The blind, and lift the weak, and balm the smart / Of other wounds than rankled at the dart / In his own breast, that gloried thus to bleed.
He served the lowliest first -- nay, them alone -- / The most despised that e'er wreaked vain breath / In cries of suppliance in the reign whereat / Red Guilt sate squat upon her spattered throne. -- / For these doomed there it was he went to death.
God! how the merest man loves one like that!