--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Wiped the cold dew-drops from his cheek…" description: "\"Wiped the cold dew-drops from his cheek And sought the mourner's side again. \"Once more, dear lady, I must speak: Your last remaining son was slain Jus..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/ella-wheeler-wilcox-1442_cheeks_wiped-the-cold-dew-drops-from-his-cheek_1906574.jpg" --- # Wiped the cold dew-drops from his cheek And sought the… ![“Wiped the cold dew-drops from his cheek And sought the mourner's side again. "Once more, dear lady, I must speak: Your last remaining son was slain Just at the closing of the fight; Twas he who sent me here to-night." "God knows," the man said afterward, "The fight itself was not so hard."” quote by Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/ella-wheeler-wilcox-1442_cheeks_wiped-the-cold-dew-drops-from-his-cheek_1906574.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/ella-wheeler-wilcox-1442_cheeks_wiped-the-cold-dew-drops-from-his-cheek_1906574.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/ella-wheeler-wilcox-1442_cheeks_wiped-the-cold-dew-drops-from-his-cheek_1906574.jpg) > “Wiped the cold dew-drops from his cheek And sought the mourner's side again. "Once more, dear lady, I must speak: Your last remaining son was slain Just at the closing of the fight; Twas he who sent me here to-night." "God knows," the man said afterward, "The fight itself was not so hard."” [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A wounded soldier returns to comfort a grieving lady, reflecting on the futility of battle and the human cost of war. **In simple terms:** He returns to console a grieving woman. Key Takeaway Compassion amid conflict. Themes war compassion loss Mood melancholic empathetic Type literary historical When to use this quote - battlefields - memorials - support groups Key Concepts human cost of conflict empathy Questions to Reflect On - What does the soldier truly feel? - How can we honor the fallen? A Different Perspective War's trauma may be downplayed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sad/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) ## Related quotes > [Lord Randolph Churchill was the chief mourner at his own protracted funeral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-primrose-5th-earl-of-rosebery/lord-randolph-churchill-was-the-chief-mourner-at-his-own-protracted/) [Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-primrose-5th-earl-of-rosebery/) > [Grief,she reminded herself, is almost always for the mourner's loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/grief-she-reminded-herself-is-almost-always-for-the-mourner-s-loss/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [There is a tear for all who die, A mourner o'er the humblest grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/there-is-a-tear-for-all-who-die-a-mourner-o-er-the-humblest-grave/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [In Shakespeare's plays, the mourner hastening to bury his friend is all the time colliding with the reveller hastening to his wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/in-shakespeare-s-plays-the-mourner-hastening-to-bury-his-friend-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The perpetual mourner -- the grief that can never be healed -- is innocently enough felt to be wearisome by the rest of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/the-perpetual-mourner-the-grief-that-can-never-be-healed-is/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [At Mom's funeral, mourner after mourner spoke about what a wonderful teacher she was. She was certainly devoted to her students.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/at-mom-s-funeral-mourner-after-mourner-spoke-about-what-a-wonderful/) [Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) > [The chief mourner does not always attend the funeral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-chief-mourner-does-not-always-attend-the-funeral/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I'm thinking of being a professional mourner. How hard can it be? Tear at your hair, sing a dirge or two, take the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/i-m-thinking-of-being-a-professional-mourner-how-hard-can-it-be-tear/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [If the weak hand, that has recorded this tale, has, by its scenes, beguiled the mourner of one hour of sorrow, or, by its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-radcliffe/if-the-weak-hand-that-has-recorded-this-tale-has-by-its-scenes/) [Ann Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-radcliffe/) > [A mourner is, perforce, a person with a story. The pity is, how very rarely it gets told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-mcewen/a-mourner-is-perforce-a-person-with-a-story-the-pity-is-how-very/) Christian McEwen > [In her heart she is a mourner for those who have not survived. In her soul she is a warrior for those who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/in-her-heart-she-is-a-mourner-for-those-who-have-not-survived-in-her/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [There is a joy in sorrow which none but a mourner can know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/there-is-a-joy-in-sorrow-which-none-but-a-mourner-can-know/) [Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/) > [How does Love speak? In the faint flush upon the telltale cheek, And in the pallor that succeeds it; by The quivering lid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/how-does-love-speak-in-the-faint-flush-upon-the-telltale-cheek-and-in/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [I'm cute - and God I hate that. Because that's not cool. I'm like your niece, and nobody wants to date their niece. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-clarkson/i-m-cute-and-god-i-hate-that-because-that-s-not-cool-i-m-like-your/) [Kelly Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-clarkson/) > [Those type of whites who are always going to jail with Negroes are the ones who tell Negroes to be loving and be kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/those-type-of-whites-who-are-always-going-to-jail-with-negroes-are/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) ## More by Ella Wheeler Wilcox > [A day which passed without a poem from my pen I considered lost and misused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/a-day-which-passed-without-a-poem-from-my-pen-i-considered-lost-and/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [Talk health. The dreary, never-changing tale Of mortal maladies is worn and stale. You cannot charm, or interest, or please By harping in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/talk-health-the-dreary-never-changing-tale-of-mortal-maladies-is-worn/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [Why dost thou shrink from my approach, O Man? Why dost thou ever flee in fear, and cling To my false rival, Life? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/why-dost-thou-shrink-from-my-approach-o-man-why-dost-thou-ever-flee/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [With every rising of the sun Think of your life as just begun. The past has shrived and buried deep All yesterdays— there let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/with-every-rising-of-the-sun-think-of-your-life-as-just-begun-the/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [“Why, even Death stands still and waits an hour for such a will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/why-even-death-stands-still-and-waits-an-hour-for-such-a-will/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [Better to wait and yearn, and still to wait, And die at last with unappeased desire, Than live to be the jest of such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/better-to-wait-and-yearn-and-still-to-wait-and-die-at-last-with/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [Love lights more fires than hate extinguishes, and men grow better as the world grows old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/love-lights-more-fires-than-hate-extinguishes-and-men-grow-better-as/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [Back on its golden hinges The gate of Memory swings, And my heart goes into the garden And walks with the olden things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/back-on-its-golden-hinges-the-gate-of-memory-swings-and-my-heart-goes/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [I hold it true that thoughts are things Endowed with bodies, breath, and wings, And that we send them forth to fill The world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/i-hold-it-true-that-thoughts-are-things-endowed-with-bodies-breath/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [All perfect things are saddening in effect. The autumn wood robed in its scarlet clothes, The matchless tinting on the royal rose Whose velvet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/all-perfect-things-are-saddening-in-effect-the-autumn-wood-robed-in/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [Content is not the pathway to great deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/content-is-not-the-pathway-to-great-deeds/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [Don't anticipate the happiness of tomorrow. Discover it today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/don-t-anticipate-the-happiness-of-tomorrow-discover-it-today/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [“And yet I would not be a child again. For surely as the night succeeds the day, So surely will their mirth turn into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/and-yet-i-would-not-be-a-child-again-for-surely-as-the-night-succeeds/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [Day's sweetest moments are at dawn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/day-s-sweetest-moments-are-at-dawn/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [Oh! not for the great departed, Who formed our country's laws, And not for the bravest-hearted, Who died in freedom's cause, And not for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/oh-not-for-the-great-departed-who-formed-our-country-s-laws-and-not/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) [Explore all 240 Ella Wheeler Wilcox quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) ## More Cheeks quotes > [Those type of whites who are always going to jail with Negroes are the ones who tell Negroes to be loving and be kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/those-type-of-whites-who-are-always-going-to-jail-with-negroes-are/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I'm cute - and God I hate that. Because that's not cool. I'm like your niece, and nobody wants to date their niece. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-clarkson/i-m-cute-and-god-i-hate-that-because-that-s-not-cool-i-m-like-your/) [Kelly Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-clarkson/) > [Regret is an uneven hand, a rough palm at the cheek — tender and calloused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorna-dee-cervantes/regret-is-an-uneven-hand-a-rough-palm-at-the-cheek-tender-and/) [Lorna Dee Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorna-dee-cervantes/) > [My knowledge of pain, learned with the sabre, taught me not to be afraid. And just as in dueling when you must concentrate on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-skorzeny/my-knowledge-of-pain-learned-with-the-sabre-taught-me-not-to-be/) Otto Skorzeny > [If somebody is really trying to take your head off with a baseball bat - I don't know how long you're supposed to stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-somebody-is-really-trying-to-take-your-head-off-with-a-baseball/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Let the splendor of diamond, pearl and ruby vanish? Only let this one teardrop, this Taj Mahal, glisten spotlessly bright on the cheek of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/let-the-splendor-of-diamond-pearl-and-ruby-vanish-only-let-this-one/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [They were dancing around the fountain, arm in arm, in an old Dutch dance, their cheeks touching, their hands entwined. They had no music;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/they-were-dancing-around-the-fountain-arm-in-arm-in-an-old-dutch/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [I love to go and mingle with the young In the gay festal room--when every heart Is beating faster than the merry tune, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-parker-willis/i-love-to-go-and-mingle-with-the-young-in-the-gay-festal-room-when/) [Nathaniel Parker Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-parker-willis/) > [I was raised to stand up for myself, if I feel I'm in the right. Maybe it would have been best if I'd just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannen-doherty/i-was-raised-to-stand-up-for-myself-if-i-feel-i-m-in-the-right-maybe/) [Shannen Doherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannen-doherty/) > [Lowly, with a broken neck, The crocus lays her cheek to mire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/lowly-with-a-broken-neck-the-crocus-lays-her-cheek-to-mire/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [...they'd just tell you to turn the other cheek, wouldn't they?...Trouble is, Mrs. Dowdel observed, after you've turned the other cheek four times, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-peck/they-d-just-tell-you-to-turn-the-other-cheek-wouldn-t-they-trouble-is/) [Richard Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-peck/) > [If revenge is sweet, why does it leave such a bitter taste? In disarming Peter, Christ disarmed ever knight. Turn the other cheek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-elwell-hunt/if-revenge-is-sweet-why-does-it-leave-such-a-bitter-taste-in/) [Angela Elwell Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-elwell-hunt/) > [John looked ruddy and plump, with a pair of cheeks like a trumpeter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-arbuthnot/john-looked-ruddy-and-plump-with-a-pair-of-cheeks-like-a-trumpeter/) [John Arbuthnot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-arbuthnot/) > [“I clench your love in my butt cheeks, along with all my hard-earned cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-clench-your-love-in-my-butt-cheeks-along-with-all-my-hard-earned/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“My face is round, and my cheeks are pinchable, and my ears stick out farther than I'd like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/my-face-is-round-and-my-cheeks-are-pinchable-and-my-ears-stick-out/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) Browse all 338 Cheeks quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Wiped the cold dew-drops from his cheek And sought the mourner's side again. \"Once more, dear lady, I must speak: Your last remaining son was slain Just at the closing of the fight; Twas he who sent me here to-night.\" \"God knows,\" the man said afterward, \"The fight itself was not so hard.\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ella Wheeler Wilcox" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/wiped-the-cold-dew-drops-from-his-cheek-and-sought-the-mourner-s-side/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cheeks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/wiped-the-cold-dew-drops-from-his-cheek-and-sought-the-mourner-s-side/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/ella-wheeler-wilcox-1442_cheeks_wiped-the-cold-dew-drops-from-his-cheek_1906574.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/ella-wheeler-wilcox-1442_cheeks_wiped-the-cold-dew-drops-from-his-cheek_1906574.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/ella-wheeler-wilcox-1442_cheeks_wiped-the-cold-dew-drops-from-his-cheek_1906574.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Wiped the cold dew-drops from his cheek And sought the mourner's side again. \"Once more, dear lady, I must…” — Ella Wheeler Wilcox", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ella Wheeler Wilcox", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Wiped the cold dew-drops from his...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/wiped-the-cold-dew-drops-from-his-cheek-and-sought-the-mourner-s-side/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/wiped-the-cold-dew-drops-from-his-cheek-and-sought-the-mourner-s-side/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```