The Song Of The Soldier-born Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AAA BBB CCC DDD DDD DDD CCC EEE FFF GGG DDD CCCGive me the scorn of the stars and a peak defiant | A |
Wail of the pines and a wind with the shout of a giant | A |
Night and a trail unknown and a heart reliant | A |
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Give me to live and love in the old bold fashion | B |
A soldier's billet at night and a soldier's ration | B |
A heart that leaps to the fight with a soldier's passion | B |
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For I hold as a simple faith there's no denying | C |
The trade of a soldier's the only trade worth plying | C |
The death of a soldier's the only death worth dying | C |
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So let me go and leave your safety behind me | D |
Go to the spaces of hazard where nothing shall bind me | D |
Go till the word is War and then you will find me | D |
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Then you will call me and claim me because you will need me | D |
Cheer me and gird me and into the battle wrath speed me | D |
And when it's over spurn me and no longer heed me | D |
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For guile and a purse gold greased are the arms you carry | D |
With deeds of paper you fight and with pens you parry | D |
You call on the hounds of the law your foes to harry | D |
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You with your 'Art for its own sake' posing and prinking | C |
You with your 'Live and be merry' eating and drinking | C |
You with your 'Peace at all hazard' from bright blood shrinking | C |
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Fools I will tell you now though the red rain patters | E |
And a million of men go down it's little it matters | E |
There's the Flag upflung to the stars though it streams in tatters | E |
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There's a glory gold never can buy to yearn and to cry for | F |
There's a hope that's as old as the sky to suffer and sigh for | F |
There's a faith that out dazzles the sun to martyr and die for | F |
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Ah no it's my dream that War will never be ended | G |
That men will perish like men and valour be splendid | G |
That the Flag by the sword will be served and honour defended | G |
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That the tale of my fights will never be ancient story | D |
That though my eye may be dim and my beard be hoary | D |
I'll die as a soldier dies on the Field of Glory | D |
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So give me a strong right arm for a wrong's swift righting | C |
Stave of a song on my lips as my sword is smiting | C |
Death in my boots may be but fighting fighting | C |
Robert William Service
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