The Fallen Subaltern

The Volunteer   Herbert Asquith

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The starshells float above, the bayonets glisten;
We bear our fallen friend without a sound;
Below the waiting legions lie and listen
To us, who march upon their burial-ground.

Wound in the flag of England, here we lay him;
The guns will flash and thunder o'er the grave;
What other winding sheet should now array him,
What other music should salute the brave?

As goes the Sun-god in his chariot glorious,
When all his golden banners are unfurled,
So goes the soldier, fallen but victorious,
And leaves behind a twilight in the world.

And those who come this way, in days hereafter,
Will know that here a boy for England fell,
Who looked at danger with the eyes of laughter,
And on the charge his days were ended well.

One last salute; the bayonets clash and glisten;
With arms reversed we go without a sound:
One more has joined the men who lie and listen
To us, who march upon their burial-ground.

Ten utwór jest własnością publiczną w krajach, w których prawa autorskie wygasają po 60 latach (lub mniej) od śmierci autora, ale nadal może być chroniony prawami autorskimi w USA i niektórych krajach Europy. Na użytkownika spada odpowiedzialność określenia, czy znajduje się on już w domenie publicznej w jego kraju.

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