He flings me hard onto the dry rocky surface
and I allow death to capture me in its embrace.
The colossal beast —with impenetrable armour—
standing over me like an immense tower.
...
Give me the scorn of the stars and a peak defiant;
Wail of the pines and a wind with the shout of a giant;
Night and a trail unknown and a heart reliant.
Give me to live and love in the old, bold fashion;
A soldier's billet at night and a soldier's ration;
A heart that leaps to the fight with a soldier's passion.