Truth Never Dies
Author Unknown
Truth never dies. The ages come and go.
The mountains wear away, the stars retire.
Destruction lays
earth’s mighty cities low;
And empires, states and dynasties expire;
But caught and
handed onward by the wise,
Truth never dies.
Though unreceived
and scoffed at through the years;
Though made the butt of ridicule and jest;
Though held aloft
for mockery and jeers,
Denied by those of transient power possessed,
Insulted by the
insolence of lies,
Truth never dies.
It answers not. It does not take offense,
But
with a mighty silence bides its time;
As some great cliff
that braves the elements
And lifts through all the storms its head
sublime,
It ever stands,
uplifted by the wise;
And never dies.
As rests the Sphinx
amid Egyptian sands;
As looms on high the snowy peak and crest;
As firm and patient
as Gibraltar stands,
So truth, unwearied, waits the era blessed
When men shall turn
to it with great surprise.
Truth never dies.
 |
| The Sphinx |
 |
| Gibraltar |
I gave this poem to my 7th-8th grade co-op English students in their homework handouts on the first week of class last August. We read it line by line in class, talking about the concepts, unfamiliar words (such as transient, sublime, and insolence), repetition ("Truth never dies") and the rhyming pattern of each verse (ABABCC). I frequently give them well-written classic poetry in their assignments. It's good for the brain and the heart!
For more on how we incorporate poetry at all grade levels, read here:
Poetry in Life and Education
Go read a poem with your kids!
Virginia Knowles
