'Far I hear the bugle blow To call me where I would not go, And the guns begin the song, "Soldier, fly or stay for long." 'Comrade, if to turn and fly Made a soldier never die Fly I would, for who would not? 'Tis sure no pleasure to be shot. 'But since the man that runs away Lives to die another day, And cowards' funerals, when they come, Are not wept so well at home, 'Therefore, though the best is bad, Stand and do the best, my lad; Stand and fight and see your slain, And take the bullet in your brain.' | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE BIGLOW PAPERS: 3. WHAT MR. ROBINSON THINKS by JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL THE EAGLE; A FRAGMENT by ALFRED TENNYSON TO FOREIGN LANDS by WALT WHITMAN E.W.T.: ON THE DEATH OF HIS BETTY by EDMUND CHARLES BLUNDEN |