THERE is a captain that commands, And never but to victory: 'The counsel of thine heart it stands, No man so faithful unto thee.' Though seven senses watch the wall, And all thy courage leap at call, He is thine ark and arsenal, Thine armour and artillery. Yea, while the cloakèd sentries tramp And challenge with a deep 'All's well!' He lists the sappers from the camp Encroaching on thy citadel; Invisible he tries the guns, And leaning o'er the bastions Discerns the tented legions, Earthwork and trench and parallel. O man! in vain they creep and mine; Thy ramp remains inviolate. But if by folly or design Thou force that friend to abdicate, A broken pole, a trodden keep, The standard of thy soul shall weep, And all her trophies lie a heap That owls and satyrs desecrate. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A VOICE FROM THE SWEAT-SHOPS (A HYMN WITH RESPONSES) by LOUIS UNTERMEYER BE TRUE [THYSELF] by HORATIO (HORATIUS) BONAR SHEEP AND LAMBS by KATHARINE TYNAN OUR BROTHER'S KEEPER by W. H. ANDERSON WRITTEN ON THE DEATH OF OUR BELOVED GENERAL STONEWALL JACKSON by CAROLINE AUGUSTA BALL MINDEN HOUSE by WILLIAM BARNES CLIO, NINE ECLOGUES IN HONOUR OF NINE VIRTUES: 9. OF HUMILITY by WILLIAM BASSE |