I see some women dressed in veils go by,
And next to them, some women barely dressed.
I contemplate this contrast, and ask why,
Our western girls are eager to divest.

Yet once our ladies were much better dressed,
They wore fine hats and clothes from head to toe.
They went to church decked in their Sunday best;
They walked with grace wherever they would go.

Those ladies knew their place and had respect,
For gentlemen and everyone around.
The men in turn, did honour and protect,
Those ladies, whose good name was safe and sound.

What happened to this modesty and grace,
That ladies used to have in years gone by?
What evil has so cursed the human race,
That such fine female modesty should die?

The devil offered Woman that old fruit,
Of knowledge and of freedom and of power.
And since the sixties this has been the root,
Of decadence, the loss of Woman’s flower.

And just like Adam, Man must share the blame,
For he stood by inactive, when the flow,
Of sexual immorality became,
As filthy and as strong as we now know.

And some men, full of lust, to their delight,
Abuse the girls who think that they are free,
Who think that being equal is their right,
But equal to the worst that men can be.

Now chivalry and modesty are spurned,
As women prize equality and force;
And many noble gentlemen are burned,
As they encounter women tough and coarse.

I know that not all women are like this;
There are still modest ladies on this earth,
Who’ve never listened to the serpent’s hiss,
Who know their source of grace and inner worth.

For God the loving Father made us pure,
All men and women special, not the same;
In His eyes, we are equal, to be sure.
Our holy lives will glorify His name.

Good Christian men and women, listen up!
Fulfill the role that God has given you.
And if you do, we shall all drink the cup,
Of love and joy and harmony anew.

– Emile Joseph

The author teaches the English language to adult migrants and is passionate about all things linguistic. He is also a serious conservative at heart, who treasures the beauty, the poetry and the gallantry of yesteryear. He is happily married with two young children in Sydney.

SydneyTrads is the internet portal and communication page of the Sydney Traditionalist Forum: an association of young professionals who form part of the Australian paleoconservative, traditionalist conservative, and independent right.