In Thor’s own red Valhalla,Which priest may not unbar;But only Nakéd Truth and Eye,Last arbiters of War;Feast, by stark right of courage,The Killers from Afar.We put no trust in heaven,We had no fear of hell;But lined, and ranged, and timed to clock,Our barrage-curtains fell,When guns gave tongue and breech-blocks swungAnd palms rammed home the shell.The Red-Steel ranks edged forward,And vanished in our smoke;Back from his churning craters,The Gray Man reeled and broke;While, fast as sweat could lay and set,Our rocking muzzles spoke.We blew him from the village;We chased him through the wood:Till, tiny on the crest-lineWhere once his trenches stood,We watched the wag of sending flagThat told our work was good:Till, red behind the branches,The death-sun sank to blood;And the Red-Steel Killers rested....But we, by swamp and flood,Through mirk and night—his shells for light—Blaspheming, choked with mud,Roped to the tilting axles,Man-handled up the crest;And wrenched our plunging gun-teamsFoam-flecked from jowl to breast,Downwards, and on, where trench-lights shone—Forwe, we might not rest!Shell-deafened; soaked and sleepless;Short-handed; under fire;Days upon nights unending,We wrought, and dared not tire—With whip and bit from dump to pit,From pit to trench with wire.The Killers in the Open,The Killers down the Wind,They saw the Gray Man eye to eye—Butwe, we fought him blind,Nor knew whence came the screaming flameThat killed us, miles behind.Yet, when the triple rocketsFlew skyward, blazed and paled,For sign the lines were broken;When the Red Steel naught availed;When, through the smoke, on shield and spokeHis rifle bullets hailed;When we waited, dazed and hopeless,Till the layer’s eye could traceHelmets, bobbing just above usLike mad jockeys in a race....Then—loaded, laid, and unafraid,We met him face to face;Jerked the trigger; felt the trunnionsRock and quiver; saw the flailOf our zero-fuses blast him;Saw his gapping ranks turn tail;Heard the charging-cheer behind us ...And dropped dead across the trail.
In Thor’s own red Valhalla,Which priest may not unbar;But only Nakéd Truth and Eye,Last arbiters of War;Feast, by stark right of courage,The Killers from Afar.We put no trust in heaven,We had no fear of hell;But lined, and ranged, and timed to clock,Our barrage-curtains fell,When guns gave tongue and breech-blocks swungAnd palms rammed home the shell.The Red-Steel ranks edged forward,And vanished in our smoke;Back from his churning craters,The Gray Man reeled and broke;While, fast as sweat could lay and set,Our rocking muzzles spoke.We blew him from the village;We chased him through the wood:Till, tiny on the crest-lineWhere once his trenches stood,We watched the wag of sending flagThat told our work was good:Till, red behind the branches,The death-sun sank to blood;And the Red-Steel Killers rested....But we, by swamp and flood,Through mirk and night—his shells for light—Blaspheming, choked with mud,Roped to the tilting axles,Man-handled up the crest;And wrenched our plunging gun-teamsFoam-flecked from jowl to breast,Downwards, and on, where trench-lights shone—Forwe, we might not rest!Shell-deafened; soaked and sleepless;Short-handed; under fire;Days upon nights unending,We wrought, and dared not tire—With whip and bit from dump to pit,From pit to trench with wire.The Killers in the Open,The Killers down the Wind,They saw the Gray Man eye to eye—Butwe, we fought him blind,Nor knew whence came the screaming flameThat killed us, miles behind.Yet, when the triple rocketsFlew skyward, blazed and paled,For sign the lines were broken;When the Red Steel naught availed;When, through the smoke, on shield and spokeHis rifle bullets hailed;When we waited, dazed and hopeless,Till the layer’s eye could traceHelmets, bobbing just above usLike mad jockeys in a race....Then—loaded, laid, and unafraid,We met him face to face;Jerked the trigger; felt the trunnionsRock and quiver; saw the flailOf our zero-fuses blast him;Saw his gapping ranks turn tail;Heard the charging-cheer behind us ...And dropped dead across the trail.
In Thor’s own red Valhalla,Which priest may not unbar;But only Nakéd Truth and Eye,Last arbiters of War;Feast, by stark right of courage,The Killers from Afar.
In Thor’s own red Valhalla,
Which priest may not unbar;
But only Nakéd Truth and Eye,
Last arbiters of War;
Feast, by stark right of courage,
The Killers from Afar.
We put no trust in heaven,We had no fear of hell;But lined, and ranged, and timed to clock,Our barrage-curtains fell,When guns gave tongue and breech-blocks swungAnd palms rammed home the shell.
We put no trust in heaven,
We had no fear of hell;
But lined, and ranged, and timed to clock,
Our barrage-curtains fell,
When guns gave tongue and breech-blocks swung
And palms rammed home the shell.
The Red-Steel ranks edged forward,And vanished in our smoke;Back from his churning craters,The Gray Man reeled and broke;While, fast as sweat could lay and set,Our rocking muzzles spoke.
The Red-Steel ranks edged forward,
And vanished in our smoke;
Back from his churning craters,
The Gray Man reeled and broke;
While, fast as sweat could lay and set,
Our rocking muzzles spoke.
We blew him from the village;We chased him through the wood:Till, tiny on the crest-lineWhere once his trenches stood,We watched the wag of sending flagThat told our work was good:
We blew him from the village;
We chased him through the wood:
Till, tiny on the crest-line
Where once his trenches stood,
We watched the wag of sending flag
That told our work was good:
Till, red behind the branches,The death-sun sank to blood;And the Red-Steel Killers rested....But we, by swamp and flood,Through mirk and night—his shells for light—Blaspheming, choked with mud,
Till, red behind the branches,
The death-sun sank to blood;
And the Red-Steel Killers rested....
But we, by swamp and flood,
Through mirk and night—his shells for light—
Blaspheming, choked with mud,
Roped to the tilting axles,Man-handled up the crest;And wrenched our plunging gun-teamsFoam-flecked from jowl to breast,Downwards, and on, where trench-lights shone—Forwe, we might not rest!
Roped to the tilting axles,
Man-handled up the crest;
And wrenched our plunging gun-teams
Foam-flecked from jowl to breast,
Downwards, and on, where trench-lights shone—
Forwe, we might not rest!
Shell-deafened; soaked and sleepless;Short-handed; under fire;Days upon nights unending,We wrought, and dared not tire—With whip and bit from dump to pit,From pit to trench with wire.
Shell-deafened; soaked and sleepless;
Short-handed; under fire;
Days upon nights unending,
We wrought, and dared not tire—
With whip and bit from dump to pit,
From pit to trench with wire.
The Killers in the Open,The Killers down the Wind,They saw the Gray Man eye to eye—Butwe, we fought him blind,Nor knew whence came the screaming flameThat killed us, miles behind.
The Killers in the Open,
The Killers down the Wind,
They saw the Gray Man eye to eye—
Butwe, we fought him blind,
Nor knew whence came the screaming flame
That killed us, miles behind.
Yet, when the triple rocketsFlew skyward, blazed and paled,For sign the lines were broken;When the Red Steel naught availed;When, through the smoke, on shield and spokeHis rifle bullets hailed;
Yet, when the triple rockets
Flew skyward, blazed and paled,
For sign the lines were broken;
When the Red Steel naught availed;
When, through the smoke, on shield and spoke
His rifle bullets hailed;
When we waited, dazed and hopeless,Till the layer’s eye could traceHelmets, bobbing just above usLike mad jockeys in a race....Then—loaded, laid, and unafraid,We met him face to face;
When we waited, dazed and hopeless,
Till the layer’s eye could trace
Helmets, bobbing just above us
Like mad jockeys in a race....
Then—loaded, laid, and unafraid,
We met him face to face;
Jerked the trigger; felt the trunnionsRock and quiver; saw the flailOf our zero-fuses blast him;Saw his gapping ranks turn tail;Heard the charging-cheer behind us ...And dropped dead across the trail.
Jerked the trigger; felt the trunnions
Rock and quiver; saw the flail
Of our zero-fuses blast him;
Saw his gapping ranks turn tail;
Heard the charging-cheer behind us ...
And dropped dead across the trail.