I am my Brother's keeper, not his jailor nor his guard,
But the keeper of his confidence, the guardian of his trust;
The one that he can turn to when the face of Fate is hard,
As I would hope to turn to him when I am in the dust.

I am my Brother's keeper, in his time of bitter need
When only human brotherhood can lift him from despair
I hold that love and charity are in the Master's creed
And if my brother needs me he will know that I am there.

I am my Brother's keeper, and my Brother, too, is mine.
I give my faith and comradeship because his own are sure;
For only by such loyalties can what is high and fine
In this, our little-mortal world, continue and endure.

I am my Brother's keeper; on the battlefield of life
I fight to save my Brother - as my Brother fights for me,
Blind side by side together in the turmoil and the strife
We seek the Peace of Brotherhood we shalt not live to see.

I am my Brother's keeper, and if any deed or word
Can aid him when he loses, or can guide him when he wins,
They're his but for the asking. Yet if mayhap he has erred
I shall not twit my Brother as he suffers for his sins.
The duty that I owe him is to prove as leat and brave
As I would have him be to me throughout our earthly span.
I am my Brother's keeper from the cradle to the grave,
Blood-brother to each comrade in the Brotherhood of Man!

- Berton Braley

Recommend this article...