At Fredericksburg-dec. 13, 1862 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABAB CDCE FGFG HIHI JKJK LMLM NONP QRQR STSTUVUVWXWX WJWJJXJXUYUZA2B2A2B2 XC2XC2UXUX D2XD2 WBWBE2F2E2F2XG2XG2H2 XH2X I2J2I2J2D2XD2XGOD send us peace and keep red strife away | A |
But should it come God send us men and steel | B |
The land is dead that dare not face the day | A |
When foreign danger threats the common weal | B |
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Defenders strong are they that homes defend | C |
From ready arms the spoiler keeps afar | D |
Well blest the country that has sons to lend | C |
From trades of peace to learn the trade of war | E |
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Thrice blest the nation that has every son | F |
A soldier ready for the warning sound | G |
Who marches homeward when the fight is done | F |
To swing the hammer and to till the ground | G |
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Call back that morning with its lurid light | H |
When through our land the awful war bell tolled | I |
When lips were mute and women's faces white | H |
As the pale cloud that out from Sumter rolled | I |
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Call back that morn an instant all were dumb | J |
As if the shot had struck the Nation's life | K |
Then cleared the smoke and rolled the calling drum | J |
And men streamed in to meet the coming strife | K |
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They closed the ledger and they stilled the loom | L |
The plow left rusting in the prairie farm | M |
They saw but ' Union' in the gathering gloom | L |
The tearless women helped the men to arm | M |
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Brigades from towns each village sent its band | N |
German and Irish every race and faith | O |
There was no question then of native land | N |
But love the Flag and follow it to death | P |
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No need to tell their tale through every age | Q |
The splendid story shall be sung and said | R |
But let me draw one picture from the page | Q |
For words of song embalm the hero dead | R |
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The smooth hill is bare and the cannons are planted | S |
Like Gorgon fates shading its terrible brow | T |
The word has been passed that the stormers are wanted | S |
And Burnside's battalions are mustering now | T |
The armies stand by to behold the dread meeting | U |
The work must be done by a desperate few | V |
The black mouthed guns on the height give them greeting | U |
From gun mouth to plain every grass blade in view | V |
Strong earthworks are there and the rifles behind them | W |
Are Georgia militia an Irish brigade | X |
Their caps have green badges as if to remind them | W |
Of all the brave record their country has made | X |
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The stormers go forward the Federals cheer them | W |
They breast the smooth hillside the black mouths are dumb | J |
The riflemen lie in the works till they near them | W |
And cover the stormers as upward they come | J |
Was ever a death march so grand and so solemn | J |
At last the dark summit with flame is enlined | X |
The great guns belch doom on the sacrificed column | J |
That reels from the height leaving hundreds behind | X |
The armies are hushed there is no cause for cheering | U |
The fall of brave men to brave men is a pain | Y |
Again come the stormers and as they are nearing | U |
The flame sheeted rifle lines reel back again | Z |
And so till full noon come the Federal masses | A2 |
Flung back from the height as the cliff flings a wave | B2 |
Brigade on brigade to the death struggle passes | A2 |
No wavering rank till it steps on the grave | B2 |
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Then comes a brief lull and the smoke pall is lifted | X |
The green of the hillside no longer is seen | C2 |
The dead soldiers lie as the sea weed is drifted | X |
The earthworks still held by the badges of green | C2 |
Have they quailed is the word No again they are forming | U |
Again comes a column to death and defeat | X |
What is it in these who shall now do the storming | U |
That makes every Georgian spring to his feet | X |
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' O God what a pity ' they cry in their cover | D2 |
As rifles are readied and bayonets made tight | X |
''Tis Meagher and his fellows their caps have green clover | D2 |
'Tis Greek to Greek now for the rest of the fight ' | - |
Twelve hundred the column their rent flag before them | W |
With Meagher at their head they have dashed at the hill | B |
Their foemen are proud of the country that bore them | W |
But Irish in love they are enemies still | B |
Out rings the fierce word ' Let them have it ' the rifles | E2 |
Are emptied point blank in the hearts of the foe | F2 |
It is gueen against green but a principle stifles | E2 |
The Irishman's love in the Georgian's blow | F2 |
The column has reeled but it is not defeated | X |
In front of the guns they re form and attack | G2 |
Six times they have done it and six times retreated | X |
Twelve hundred they came and two hundred go back | G2 |
Two hundred go back with the chivalrous story | H2 |
The wild day is closed in the night's solemn shroud | X |
A thousand lie dead but their death was a glory | H2 |
That calls not for tears the Green Badges are proud | X |
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Bright honor be theirs who for honor were fearless | I2 |
Who charged for their fl ig to the grim cannon's mouth | J2 |
And honor to them who were true though not tearless | I2 |
Who bravely that day kept the cause of the South | J2 |
The quarrel is done God avert such another | D2 |
The lesson it brought we should evermore heed | X |
Who loveth the Flag is a man and a brother | D2 |
No matter what birth or what race or what creed | X |
John Boyle O'reilly
(1)
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