de CLEYRE, Voltairine “Written in Red”
(To Our Living Dead in Mexico’s Struggle)
literature: poetryDE CLEYRE, Voltairine (1866-1912) AudioVoltairine de Cleyre’s last poem. It was published in a collection of poems with the same title: Written in Red. Selected Poems of Voltairine de Cleyre->art5552]
You may listen to this poem on the LibriVox website
Written in red their protest stands,For the gods of the World to see;On the dooming wall their bodiless handshave blazoned "Upharsin," and flaring brandsIllumine the message: "Seize the lands!Open the prisons and make men free!"Flame out the living words of the deadWritten-in-red.Gods of the World! Their mouths are dumb!Your guns have spoken and they are dust.But the shrouded Living, whose hearts were numb,have felt the beat of a wakening drumWithin them sounding-the Dead men’s tongue—Calling: "Smite off the ancient rust!"Have beheld "Resurrexit," the word of the Dead,Written-in-red.Bear it aloft, O roaring, flame!Skyward aloft, where all may see.Slaves of the World! Our cause is the same;One is the immemorial shame;One is the struggle, and in One name—MANHOOD— we battle to set men free."Uncurse us the Land!" burn the words of the Dead,Written-in-red.