书城英文图书英国学生文学读本4册
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第8章 MY LITTLE HERO

1.Earth's bravest,truest heroes Fight with an unseen foe ,And win a victory grander Than you or I can know.

We little dream of the conflict Fought in each human soul,And Earth knows not of her heroes Upon God's honour-roll.

2.One of those little heroes Right proud am I to know ;His name for me is Mother,My name for him is Joe.

At the thought of a ten-year-old hero Would many perhaps have smiled;But a battlefield's a battlefield,In the heart of man or child.

3.There were plans of mischief brewing ;I saw,but gave no sign ,For I wanted to test the mettle Of this little knight of mine.

"Of course you must come and help us,For we all depend on Joe,"

The boys said;and I waited For his answer-yes or no.

4.He stood and thought for a moment;I read his heart like a book,For the battle that he was fighting Was told in his earnest look.

Then to his waiting playmates Out spoke my loyal knight:

"No,boys;I cannot go with you,For I know it wouldn't be right."

5.How proud was I of my hero,As I knelt by his little bed And gave him the bed-time kisses,And the good-night words were said!

True to his Lord and manhood May he stand in the world's fierce fight,And shun each unworthyaction,Because it "wouldn't be right."