Ten thousand men a day

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by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

All the world was wearying,
   All the world was sad;
Everything was shadow-filled;
   Things were going bad.
Then a rumour stirred all hearts
   As a wind stirs trees -
Ten thousand men a day
   Coming over seas!

Soon we saw them marching by -
   God! what a sight! -
Shoulders back, and heads erect,
   Faces full of light.
Smiling like a morn in May,
   Moving like a breeze,
Ten thousand men a day
   Coming over seas.

Weary soldiers worn with war
   Lifted up their eyes,
Shadows seemed to fade a bit,
   Dawn was in the skies.
Hope sprang to troubled hearts,
   Strength to tired knees:
Ten thousand men a day
   Were coming over seas.

France and England swarmed with them,
   Khaki-clad and young,
Filled with all the joy of life -
   Into line they swung.
Waning valour rose anew
   At the sight of these
Ten thousand men a day
   Coming over seas.

Still they come--and still they come
   In their strength and pride.
Victory with radiant mien
   Marches on beside.
Victory is here to stay,
   Every heart agrees,
With ten thousand men a day
   Coming over seas.


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