The regiment has waited long, Waited for the Colonel; Dusky, patient, brave, and strong, Loyal to the Colonel; Now, the weary furlough spent, Garland the commander's tent; Now the Freedmen regiment Has received its Colonel. See him, young and quick and fair, (Ever young, the Colonel!) While the happy trumpets blare Welcome to the Colonel. See the shining of his face, And his eager, swinging pace, All the unforgotten grace Of the youthful Colonel. See the laughter in his eyes, (Ever-sprightly Colonel) Hear his greetings, merry-wise, Ready, like the Colonel. Age and pain and weakness past, Sorrow to oblivion cast, Back among his boys at last, Ah, the hero Colonel! Heavy with the loss of him, Ever-kindly Colonel, We, though eyes are sadly dim, Would not keep the Colonel. From the armies of the skies, From the light that never dies, From the Wisdom endless wise, Who would hold the Colonel? | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...LONELY BURIAL by STEPHEN VINCENT BENET STORIES ARE MADE OF MISTAKES by JAMES GALVIN WESTERN CIVILIZATION by JAMES GALVIN TO MAY HOWARD JACKSON - SCULPTOR by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON EIGHTEEN-DOLLAR TAXI TRIP TO TIZAPAN AND BACK TO CHAPALA by CLARENCE MAJOR ERASMUS by EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON |