Thecruel war was over—oh, the triumph was so sweet!We watched the troops returning, through our tears;There was triumph, triumph, triumph down the scarlet glittering street,And you scarce could hear the music for the cheers.And you scarce could see the house-tops for the flags that flew between,The bells were pealing madly to the sky;And every one was shouting for the Soldiers of the Queen,And the glory of an age was passing by.And then there came a shadow, swift and sudden, dark and drear;The bells were silent, not an echo stirred.The flags were drooping sullenly, the men forgot to cheer;We waited, and we never spoke a word.The sky grew darker, darker, till from out the gloomy rackThere came a voice that checked the heart with dread:"Tear down, tear down your bunting now, and hang up sable black;They are coming—it's the Army of the Dead."They were coming, they were coming, gaunt and ghastly, sad and slow;They were coming, all the crimson wrecks of pride;With faces seared, and cheeks red smeared, and haunting eyes of woe,And clotted holes the khaki couldn't hide.Oh, the clammy brow of anguish! the livid, foam-flecked lips!The reeling ranks of ruin swept along!The limb that trailed, the hand that failed, the bloody finger-tips!And oh, the dreary rhythm of their song!"They left us on the veldt-side, but we felt we couldn't stop,On this, our England's crowning festal day;We're the men of Magersfontein, we're the men of Spion Kop,Colenso,—we're the men who had to pay.We're the men who paid the blood-price. Shall the grave be all our gain?You owe us. Long and heavy is the score.Then cheer us for our glory now, and cheer us for our pain,And cheer us as ye never cheered before."The folks were white and stricken, and each tongue seemed weighed with lead;Each heart was clutched in hollow hand of ice;And every eye was staring at the horror of the dead,The pity of the men who paid the price.They were come, were come to mock us, in the first flush of our peace;Through writhing lips their teeth were all agleam;They were coming in their thousands—oh, would they never cease!I closed my eyes, and then—it was a dream.There was triumph, triumph, triumph down the scarlet gleaming street;The town was mad, a man was like a boy.A thousand flags were flaming where the sky and city meet;A thousand bells were thundering the joy.There was music, mirth and sunshine; but some eyes shone with regret:And while we stun with cheers our homing braves,O God, in Thy great mercy, let us nevermore forgetThe graves they left behind, the bitter graves.
Thecruel war was over—oh, the triumph was so sweet!We watched the troops returning, through our tears;There was triumph, triumph, triumph down the scarlet glittering street,And you scarce could hear the music for the cheers.And you scarce could see the house-tops for the flags that flew between,The bells were pealing madly to the sky;And every one was shouting for the Soldiers of the Queen,And the glory of an age was passing by.
And then there came a shadow, swift and sudden, dark and drear;The bells were silent, not an echo stirred.The flags were drooping sullenly, the men forgot to cheer;We waited, and we never spoke a word.The sky grew darker, darker, till from out the gloomy rackThere came a voice that checked the heart with dread:"Tear down, tear down your bunting now, and hang up sable black;They are coming—it's the Army of the Dead."
They were coming, they were coming, gaunt and ghastly, sad and slow;They were coming, all the crimson wrecks of pride;With faces seared, and cheeks red smeared, and haunting eyes of woe,And clotted holes the khaki couldn't hide.Oh, the clammy brow of anguish! the livid, foam-flecked lips!The reeling ranks of ruin swept along!The limb that trailed, the hand that failed, the bloody finger-tips!And oh, the dreary rhythm of their song!
"They left us on the veldt-side, but we felt we couldn't stop,On this, our England's crowning festal day;We're the men of Magersfontein, we're the men of Spion Kop,Colenso,—we're the men who had to pay.We're the men who paid the blood-price. Shall the grave be all our gain?You owe us. Long and heavy is the score.Then cheer us for our glory now, and cheer us for our pain,And cheer us as ye never cheered before."
The folks were white and stricken, and each tongue seemed weighed with lead;Each heart was clutched in hollow hand of ice;And every eye was staring at the horror of the dead,The pity of the men who paid the price.They were come, were come to mock us, in the first flush of our peace;Through writhing lips their teeth were all agleam;They were coming in their thousands—oh, would they never cease!I closed my eyes, and then—it was a dream.
There was triumph, triumph, triumph down the scarlet gleaming street;The town was mad, a man was like a boy.A thousand flags were flaming where the sky and city meet;A thousand bells were thundering the joy.There was music, mirth and sunshine; but some eyes shone with regret:And while we stun with cheers our homing braves,O God, in Thy great mercy, let us nevermore forgetThe graves they left behind, the bitter graves.
A pistol-shotrings round and round the world:In pitiful defeat a warrior lies.A last defiance to dark Death is hurled,A last wild challenge shocks the sunlit skies.Alone he falls with wide, wan, woeful eyes:Eyes that could smile at death—could not face shame.Alone, alone he paced his narrow room,In the bright sunshine of that Paris day;Saw in his thought the awful hand of doom;Saw in his dream his glory pass away;Tried in his heart, his weary heart, to pray:"O God! who made me, give me strength to faceThe spectre of this bitter, black disgrace."
A pistol-shotrings round and round the world:In pitiful defeat a warrior lies.A last defiance to dark Death is hurled,A last wild challenge shocks the sunlit skies.Alone he falls with wide, wan, woeful eyes:Eyes that could smile at death—could not face shame.
Alone, alone he paced his narrow room,In the bright sunshine of that Paris day;Saw in his thought the awful hand of doom;Saw in his dream his glory pass away;Tried in his heart, his weary heart, to pray:"O God! who made me, give me strength to faceThe spectre of this bitter, black disgrace."
The burn brawls darkly down the shaggy glen,The bee-kissed heather blooms around the door;He sees himself a barefoot boy again,Bending o'er page of legendary lore.He hears the pibroch, grips the red claymore,Runs with the Fiery Cross a clansman true,Sworn kinsman of Rob Roy and Roderick Dhu.Eating his heart out with a wild desire,One day, behind his counter trim and neat,He hears a sound that sets his brain afire—The Highlanders are marching down the street.Oh, how the pipes shrill out, the mad drums beat!"On to the gates of Hell, my Gordons gay!"He flings his hated yardstick far away.He sees the sullen pass, high-crowned with snow,Where Afghans cower with eyes of gleaming hate.He hurls himself against the hidden foe.They try to rally—ah, too late, too late!Again, defenceless, with fierce eyes that waitFor death, he stands, like baited bull at bay,And flouts the Boers, that mad Majuba day.He sees again the murderous Soudan,Blood-slaked and rapine swept. He seems to standUpon the gory plain of Omdurman.Then Magersfontein, and supreme commandOver his Highlanders. To shake his handA King is proud, and princes call him friend,And glory crowns his life—and now the end.The awful end. His eyes are dark with doom;He hears the shrapnel shrieking overhead:He sees the ravaged ranks, the flame-stabbed gloom.Oh, to have fallen! the battle-field his bed,With Wauchope and his glorious brother-dead.Why was he saved for this, for this? And nowHe raises the revolver to his brow.
The burn brawls darkly down the shaggy glen,The bee-kissed heather blooms around the door;He sees himself a barefoot boy again,Bending o'er page of legendary lore.He hears the pibroch, grips the red claymore,Runs with the Fiery Cross a clansman true,Sworn kinsman of Rob Roy and Roderick Dhu.
Eating his heart out with a wild desire,One day, behind his counter trim and neat,He hears a sound that sets his brain afire—The Highlanders are marching down the street.Oh, how the pipes shrill out, the mad drums beat!"On to the gates of Hell, my Gordons gay!"He flings his hated yardstick far away.
He sees the sullen pass, high-crowned with snow,Where Afghans cower with eyes of gleaming hate.He hurls himself against the hidden foe.They try to rally—ah, too late, too late!Again, defenceless, with fierce eyes that waitFor death, he stands, like baited bull at bay,And flouts the Boers, that mad Majuba day.
He sees again the murderous Soudan,Blood-slaked and rapine swept. He seems to standUpon the gory plain of Omdurman.Then Magersfontein, and supreme commandOver his Highlanders. To shake his handA King is proud, and princes call him friend,And glory crowns his life—and now the end.
The awful end. His eyes are dark with doom;He hears the shrapnel shrieking overhead:He sees the ravaged ranks, the flame-stabbed gloom.Oh, to have fallen! the battle-field his bed,With Wauchope and his glorious brother-dead.Why was he saved for this, for this? And nowHe raises the revolver to his brow.
In many a Highland home, framed with rude art,You'll find his portrait, rough-hewn, stern and square:It's graven in the Fuyam fellah's heart;The Ghurka reads it at his evening prayer;The raw lands know it, where the fierce suns glare;The Dervish fears it. Honour to his name,Who holds aloft the shield of England's fame.Mourn for our hero, men of Northern race!We do not know his sin; we only knowHis sword was keen. He laughed death in the face,And struck, for Empire's sake, a giant blow.His arm was strong. Ah! well they learnt, the foe.The echo of his deeds is ringing yet,Will ring for aye. All else ... let us forget.
In many a Highland home, framed with rude art,You'll find his portrait, rough-hewn, stern and square:It's graven in the Fuyam fellah's heart;The Ghurka reads it at his evening prayer;The raw lands know it, where the fierce suns glare;The Dervish fears it. Honour to his name,Who holds aloft the shield of England's fame.
Mourn for our hero, men of Northern race!We do not know his sin; we only knowHis sword was keen. He laughed death in the face,And struck, for Empire's sake, a giant blow.His arm was strong. Ah! well they learnt, the foe.The echo of his deeds is ringing yet,Will ring for aye. All else ... let us forget.
Anangel was tired of heaven, as he lounged in the golden street;His halo was tilted sideways, and his harp lay mute at his feet;So the Master stooped in His pity, and gave him a pass to go,For the space of a moon, to the earth-world, to mix with the men below.He doffed his celestial garments, scarce waiting to lay them straight;He bade goodbye to Peter, who stood by the golden gate;The sexless singers of heaven chanted a fond farewell,And the imps looked up as they pattered on the red-hot flags of hell.Never was seen such an angel: eyes of a heavenly blue,Features that shamed Apollo, hair of a golden hue;The women simply adored him, his lips were like Cupid's bow;But he never ventured to use them—and so they voted him slow.Till at last there came One Woman, a marvel of loveliness,And she whispered to him: "Do you love me?" And he answered that woman, "Yes."And she said: "Put your arms around me, and kiss me, and hold me—so—"But fiercely he drew back, saying: "This thing is wrong, and I know."Then sweetly she mocked his scruples, and softly she him beguiled:"You, who are verily man among men, speak with the tongue of a child.We have outlived the old standards; we have burst, like an over-tight thong,The ancient, outworn, puritanic traditions of Right and Wrong."Then the Master feared for His angel, and called him again to His side,For oh, the woman was wondrous, and oh, the angel was tried.And deep in his hell sang the Devil, and this was the strain of his song:"The ancient, outworn, puritanic traditions of Right and Wrong."
Anangel was tired of heaven, as he lounged in the golden street;His halo was tilted sideways, and his harp lay mute at his feet;So the Master stooped in His pity, and gave him a pass to go,For the space of a moon, to the earth-world, to mix with the men below.
He doffed his celestial garments, scarce waiting to lay them straight;He bade goodbye to Peter, who stood by the golden gate;The sexless singers of heaven chanted a fond farewell,And the imps looked up as they pattered on the red-hot flags of hell.
Never was seen such an angel: eyes of a heavenly blue,Features that shamed Apollo, hair of a golden hue;The women simply adored him, his lips were like Cupid's bow;But he never ventured to use them—and so they voted him slow.
Till at last there came One Woman, a marvel of loveliness,And she whispered to him: "Do you love me?" And he answered that woman, "Yes."And she said: "Put your arms around me, and kiss me, and hold me—so—"But fiercely he drew back, saying: "This thing is wrong, and I know."
Then sweetly she mocked his scruples, and softly she him beguiled:"You, who are verily man among men, speak with the tongue of a child.We have outlived the old standards; we have burst, like an over-tight thong,The ancient, outworn, puritanic traditions of Right and Wrong."
Then the Master feared for His angel, and called him again to His side,For oh, the woman was wondrous, and oh, the angel was tried.And deep in his hell sang the Devil, and this was the strain of his song:"The ancient, outworn, puritanic traditions of Right and Wrong."
Wecouldn't sit and study for the law;The stagnation of a bank we couldn't stand;For our riot blood was surging, and we didn't need much urgingTo excitements and excesses that are banned.So we took to wine and drink and other things,And the devil in us struggled to be free;Till our friends rose up in wrath, and they pointed out the path,And they paid our debts and packed us o'er the sea.Oh, they shook us off and shipped us o'er the foam,To the larger lands that lure a man to roam;And we took the chance they gaveOf a far and foreign grave,And we bade goodbye for evermore to home.And some of us are climbing on the peak,And some of us are camping on the plain;By pine and palm you'll find us, with never claim to bind us,By track and trail you'll meet us once again.We are fated serfs to freedom—sky and sea;We have failed where slummy cities overflow;But the stranger ways of earth know our pride and know our worth,And we go into the dark as fighters go.Yes, we go into the night as brave men go,Though our faces they be often streaked with woe;Yet we're hard as cats to kill,And our hearts are reckless still,And we've danced with death a dozen times or so.And you'll find us in Alaska after gold,And you'll find us herding cattle in the South.We like strong drink and fun; and when the race is run,We often die with curses in our mouth.We are wild as colts unbroke, but never mean;Of our sins we've shoulders broad to bear the blame;But we'll never stay in town, and we'll never settle down,And we'll never have an object or an aim.No, there's that in us that time can never tame;And life will always seem a careless game;And they'd better far forget—Those who say they love us yet—Forget, blot out with bitterness our name.
Wecouldn't sit and study for the law;The stagnation of a bank we couldn't stand;For our riot blood was surging, and we didn't need much urgingTo excitements and excesses that are banned.So we took to wine and drink and other things,And the devil in us struggled to be free;Till our friends rose up in wrath, and they pointed out the path,And they paid our debts and packed us o'er the sea.
Oh, they shook us off and shipped us o'er the foam,To the larger lands that lure a man to roam;And we took the chance they gaveOf a far and foreign grave,And we bade goodbye for evermore to home.
And some of us are climbing on the peak,And some of us are camping on the plain;By pine and palm you'll find us, with never claim to bind us,By track and trail you'll meet us once again.
We are fated serfs to freedom—sky and sea;We have failed where slummy cities overflow;But the stranger ways of earth know our pride and know our worth,And we go into the dark as fighters go.
Yes, we go into the night as brave men go,Though our faces they be often streaked with woe;Yet we're hard as cats to kill,And our hearts are reckless still,And we've danced with death a dozen times or so.
And you'll find us in Alaska after gold,And you'll find us herding cattle in the South.We like strong drink and fun; and when the race is run,We often die with curses in our mouth.
We are wild as colts unbroke, but never mean;Of our sins we've shoulders broad to bear the blame;But we'll never stay in town, and we'll never settle down,And we'll never have an object or an aim.
No, there's that in us that time can never tame;And life will always seem a careless game;And they'd better far forget—Those who say they love us yet—Forget, blot out with bitterness our name.
It'scruel cold on the water-front, silent and dark and drear;Only the black tide weltering, only the hissing snow;And I, alone, like a storm-tossed wreck, on this night of the glad New Year,Shuffling along in the icy wind, ghastly and gaunt and slow.They're playing a tune in McGuffy's saloon, and it's cheery and bright in there(God! but I'm weak—since the bitter dawn, and never a bite of food);I'll just go over and slip inside—I mustn't give way to despair—Perhaps I can bum a little booze if the boys are feeling good.They'll jeer at me, and they'll sneer at me, and they'll call me a whiskey soak;("Have a drink? Well, thankee kindly, sir, I don't mind if I do.")A drivelling, dirty gin-joint fiend, the butt of the bar-room joke;Sunk and sodden and hopeless—"Another? Well, here's to you!"McGuffy is showing a bunch of the boys how Bob Fitzsimmons hit;The barman is talking of Tammany Hall, and why the ward boss got fired;I'll just sneak into a corner, and they'll let me alone a bit;The room is reeling round and round ... O God, but I'm tired, I'm tired....
It'scruel cold on the water-front, silent and dark and drear;Only the black tide weltering, only the hissing snow;And I, alone, like a storm-tossed wreck, on this night of the glad New Year,Shuffling along in the icy wind, ghastly and gaunt and slow.
They're playing a tune in McGuffy's saloon, and it's cheery and bright in there(God! but I'm weak—since the bitter dawn, and never a bite of food);I'll just go over and slip inside—I mustn't give way to despair—Perhaps I can bum a little booze if the boys are feeling good.
They'll jeer at me, and they'll sneer at me, and they'll call me a whiskey soak;("Have a drink? Well, thankee kindly, sir, I don't mind if I do.")A drivelling, dirty gin-joint fiend, the butt of the bar-room joke;Sunk and sodden and hopeless—"Another? Well, here's to you!"
McGuffy is showing a bunch of the boys how Bob Fitzsimmons hit;The barman is talking of Tammany Hall, and why the ward boss got fired;I'll just sneak into a corner, and they'll let me alone a bit;The room is reeling round and round ... O God, but I'm tired, I'm tired....
Roses she wore on her breast that night. Oh, but their scent was sweet;Alone we sat on the balcony, and the fan-palms arched above;The witching strain of a waltz by Strauss came up to our cool retreat,And I prisoned her little hand in mine, and I whispered my plea of love.Then sudden the laughter died on her lips, and lowly she bent her head;And oh, there came in the deep, dark eyes a look that was heaven to seeAnd the moments went, and I waited there, and never a word was said,And she plucked from her bosom a rose of red, and shyly gave it to me.Then the music swelled to a crash of joy, and the lights blazed up like day;And I held her fast to my throbbing heart, and I kissed her bonny brow;"She is mine, she is mine for evermore!" the violins seemed to say,And the bells were ringing the New Year in—O God! I can hear them now.Don't you remember that long, last waltz, with its sobbing, sad refrain?Don't you remember that last goodbye, and the dear eyes dim with tears?Don't you remember that golden dream, with never a hint of pain,Of lives that would blend like an angel-song in the bliss of the coming year?Oh, what have I lost! What have I lost! Ethel, forgive, forgive!The red, red rose is faded now, and it's fifty years ago.'Twere better to die a thousand deaths than live each day as I live!I have sinned, I have sunk to the lowest depths—but oh, I have suffered so!Hark! Oh hark! I can hear the bells!... Look! I can see her there,Fair as a dream ... but it fades ... And now—I can hear the dreadful humOf the crowded court ... See! the Judge looks down ...Not Guilty, my Lord, I swear ...The bells, I can hear the bells again ... Ethel, I come, I come!...
Roses she wore on her breast that night. Oh, but their scent was sweet;Alone we sat on the balcony, and the fan-palms arched above;The witching strain of a waltz by Strauss came up to our cool retreat,And I prisoned her little hand in mine, and I whispered my plea of love.
Then sudden the laughter died on her lips, and lowly she bent her head;And oh, there came in the deep, dark eyes a look that was heaven to seeAnd the moments went, and I waited there, and never a word was said,And she plucked from her bosom a rose of red, and shyly gave it to me.
Then the music swelled to a crash of joy, and the lights blazed up like day;And I held her fast to my throbbing heart, and I kissed her bonny brow;"She is mine, she is mine for evermore!" the violins seemed to say,And the bells were ringing the New Year in—O God! I can hear them now.
Don't you remember that long, last waltz, with its sobbing, sad refrain?Don't you remember that last goodbye, and the dear eyes dim with tears?Don't you remember that golden dream, with never a hint of pain,Of lives that would blend like an angel-song in the bliss of the coming year?
Oh, what have I lost! What have I lost! Ethel, forgive, forgive!The red, red rose is faded now, and it's fifty years ago.'Twere better to die a thousand deaths than live each day as I live!I have sinned, I have sunk to the lowest depths—but oh, I have suffered so!
Hark! Oh hark! I can hear the bells!... Look! I can see her there,Fair as a dream ... but it fades ... And now—I can hear the dreadful humOf the crowded court ... See! the Judge looks down ...Not Guilty, my Lord, I swear ...The bells, I can hear the bells again ... Ethel, I come, I come!...
"Rouse up, old man, it's twelve o'clock. You can't sleep here, you know.Say! ain't you got no sentiment? Lift up your muddled head;Have a drink to the glad New Year, a drop before you go—You darned old dirty hobo ... My God! Here, boys! He'sDEAD!"
"Rouse up, old man, it's twelve o'clock. You can't sleep here, you know.Say! ain't you got no sentiment? Lift up your muddled head;Have a drink to the glad New Year, a drop before you go—You darned old dirty hobo ... My God! Here, boys! He'sDEAD!"
Say! You've struck a heap of trouble—Bust in business, lost your wife;No one cares a cent about you,You don't care a cent for life;Hard luck has of hope bereft you,Health is failing, wish you'd die—Why, you've still the sunshine left you,And the big, blue sky.Sky so blue it makes you wonderIf it's heaven shining through;Earth so smiling 'way out yonder,Sun so bright it dazzles you;Birds a-singing, flowers a-flingingAll their fragrance on the breeze;Dancing shadows, green, still meadows—Don't you mope, you've still got these.These, and none can take them from you;These, and none can weigh their worth.What! you're tired and broke and beaten?—Why, you're rich—you've got the earth!Yes, if you're a tramp in tatters,While the blue sky bends above,You've got nearly all that matters,You've got God, and God is love.
Say! You've struck a heap of trouble—Bust in business, lost your wife;No one cares a cent about you,You don't care a cent for life;Hard luck has of hope bereft you,Health is failing, wish you'd die—Why, you've still the sunshine left you,And the big, blue sky.
Sky so blue it makes you wonderIf it's heaven shining through;Earth so smiling 'way out yonder,Sun so bright it dazzles you;Birds a-singing, flowers a-flingingAll their fragrance on the breeze;Dancing shadows, green, still meadows—Don't you mope, you've still got these.
These, and none can take them from you;These, and none can weigh their worth.What! you're tired and broke and beaten?—Why, you're rich—you've got the earth!Yes, if you're a tramp in tatters,While the blue sky bends above,You've got nearly all that matters,You've got God, and God is love.
'Twasa year ago and the moon was bright(Oh, I remember so well, so well),I walked with my love in a sea of light,And the voice of my sweet was a silver bell.And sudden the moon grew strangely dull,And sudden my love had taken wing;I looked on the face of a grinning skull,I strained to my heart a ghastly thing.'Twas but fantasy, for my love lay stillIn my arms with her tender eyes aglow,And she wondered why my lips were chill,Why I was silent and kissed her so.A year has gone and the moon is bright,A gibbous moon like a ghost of woe;I sit by a new-made grave to-night,And my heart is broken—it's strange, you know.
'Twasa year ago and the moon was bright(Oh, I remember so well, so well),I walked with my love in a sea of light,And the voice of my sweet was a silver bell.
And sudden the moon grew strangely dull,And sudden my love had taken wing;I looked on the face of a grinning skull,I strained to my heart a ghastly thing.
'Twas but fantasy, for my love lay stillIn my arms with her tender eyes aglow,And she wondered why my lips were chill,Why I was silent and kissed her so.
A year has gone and the moon is bright,A gibbous moon like a ghost of woe;I sit by a new-made grave to-night,And my heart is broken—it's strange, you know.
Canyou recall, dear comrade, when we tramped God's land together,And we sang the old, old Earth-song, for our youth was very sweet;When we drank and fought and lusted, as we mocked at tie and tether,Along the road to Anywhere, the wide world at our feet.Along the road to Anywhere, when each day had its story;When time was yet our vassal, and life's jest was still unstale;When peace unfathomed filled our hearts as, bathed in amber glory,Along the road to Anywhere we watched the sunsets pale.Alas! the road to Anywhere is pitfalled with disaster;There's hunger, want, and weariness, yet O we loved it so!As on we tramped exultantly, and no man was our master,And no man guessed what dreams were ours, as swinging heel and toe,We tramped the road to Anywhere, the magic road to Anywhere,The tragic road to Anywhere, such dear, dim years ago.
Canyou recall, dear comrade, when we tramped God's land together,And we sang the old, old Earth-song, for our youth was very sweet;When we drank and fought and lusted, as we mocked at tie and tether,Along the road to Anywhere, the wide world at our feet.
Along the road to Anywhere, when each day had its story;When time was yet our vassal, and life's jest was still unstale;When peace unfathomed filled our hearts as, bathed in amber glory,Along the road to Anywhere we watched the sunsets pale.
Alas! the road to Anywhere is pitfalled with disaster;There's hunger, want, and weariness, yet O we loved it so!As on we tramped exultantly, and no man was our master,And no man guessed what dreams were ours, as swinging heel and toe,We tramped the road to Anywhere, the magic road to Anywhere,The tragic road to Anywhere, such dear, dim years ago.
Youwho have lived in the Land,You who have trusted the trail;You who are strong to withstand,You who are swift to assail;Songs have I sung to beguile,Vintage of desperate yearsHard as a harlot's smile,Bitter as unshed tears.Little of joy or mirth,Little of ease I sing;Sagas of men of earth,Humanly suffering,Such as you all have done;Savagely faring forth,Sons of the midnight sun,Argonauts of the North.Far in the land God forgotGlimmers the lure of your trail;Still in your lust are you taughtEven to win is to fail.Still must you follow and fightUnder the vampire wing;There in the long, long nightHoping and vanquishing.Husbandmen of the Wild,Reaping a barren gain;Scourged by desire, reconciledUnto disaster and pain;These my songs are for you,You who are seared with the brand:God knows I have tried to be true;Please God you will understand.
Youwho have lived in the Land,You who have trusted the trail;You who are strong to withstand,You who are swift to assail;Songs have I sung to beguile,Vintage of desperate yearsHard as a harlot's smile,Bitter as unshed tears.
Little of joy or mirth,Little of ease I sing;Sagas of men of earth,Humanly suffering,Such as you all have done;Savagely faring forth,Sons of the midnight sun,Argonauts of the North.
Far in the land God forgotGlimmers the lure of your trail;Still in your lust are you taughtEven to win is to fail.Still must you follow and fightUnder the vampire wing;There in the long, long nightHoping and vanquishing.
Husbandmen of the Wild,Reaping a barren gain;Scourged by desire, reconciledUnto disaster and pain;These my songs are for you,You who are seared with the brand:God knows I have tried to be true;Please God you will understand.
Printed in Great Britain byUNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITEDWOKING AND LONDON.
Transcriber's Note:Inconsistent hyphenation has been retained. Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note, whilst significant amendments have been listed below.P.22, 'greyling' amended tograyling.P.58, 'trial' amended totrail.P.93, 'sidways' amended tosideways.
Transcriber's Note:Inconsistent hyphenation has been retained. Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note, whilst significant amendments have been listed below.