Robert Louis Stevenson: Collected Poems Edited, with an introduction and notes, by Janet Adam Smith |
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A MARTIAL ELEGY FOR SOME LEAD SOLDIERS |
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 | Robert Louis Stevenson: Collected Poems |  |
426
A MARTIAL ELEGY FOR SOME LEAD SOLDIERS
For certain soldiers lately deadOur reverent dirge shall here be said.
Them, when their martial leader called,
No dread preparative appalled;
But leaden-hearted, leaden-heeled,
I marked them steadfast in the field.
Death grimly sided with the foe,
And smote each leaden hero low.
Proudly they perished one by one:
The dread Pea-cannon's work was done!
O not for them the tears we shed,
Consigned to their congenial lead;
But while unmoved their sleep they take,
We mourn for their dear Captain's sake,
For their dear Captain, who shall smart
Both in his pocket and his heart,
Who saw his heroes shed their gore
And lacked a shilling to buy more!
| Robert Louis Stevenson: Collected Poems | |