The Battle

Heavy and solomn, A cloudy column Through the green plain they marching carne, Measurelfss sprwid, Ufce a table drend, For tbe Ylldg!lll dice of the iron grane ; Ihe looks are bent on the shaking groun-1, And the heart beits load with Ite knelling sound, Swift by the breasts tliat must bear the bruut, ; Gallops the Major along the front: Halt !" Aid fettered they stand at the stark command, And tbe warriors silent halt. Proud in the blash of thp raorning glowing, Which on the lüll-top shines ín ilowiiip, '; See ynu Um RmaBB basmera waving,"' ' Wp ne the loeman's banners wavingt' ' God be With the childien nnd wife," Hark to trii' music, the trump and tbe fife, How they riog through the ranks vnich rou?o to the strife ; Tluilling thoy sound with tlieir gloiious tone, Thrilling they go through the marro aml bone. Brothers, OOflgiat, wbra this ltfe is oer, ü may meet in the liíe to come ouce more ! Pee tliepmoke,how the liglitning's cleaving asunlcrf Hark, the guns, peal on pealj how they boom in tlieir fhondor, I rom post to post witli kinüling sound, The filiontíng signal circles round ; Ay ! shout itforth to life or death, Freer already breathe.s the l'irath. The war is waging, slaughter raging, And heavy through the recUn pull, Tlie iron death-dice fall. Narer they close, foea upon foeo. ■ Bftadj I" Krom square to square itgocs, JVnvnon tlicir bcn-leil knees tlicy tnk, '..- And the (fee eoma sliarj from tbc foi-Linust rauk ; Many a man to the earth is sent, Many a gap by tlie ballet is rent. 3'er the corpse before springs the hinder man. That the line may not luil to the fearleas van. To the rightand the left, arouod andaroun-l. Deoth whirls in ïts dance upon the bluody ground ; God's suulight is queached in the fiery light, O?er the host falla a brooding niglit. ïrotüera, God grant, when tfaia life fc o"er, n the lile to come we may meet once more. The deurt men He bathed in thcir woltering blood, And the living are blent in the slippery flood ; And the feet, ka they reding and sliding go, tumble stillon thecorpses that sleep lelow, ' What, Francés, give Charlotte iny last füiowtll !" s the dying man raurmurs the thunders bwU ; " I'll give - Oh God ! are their guns bo ncar, Ho ! comradefi ! yon volley ! look sharp to the roar- Ml givc thy Charlotte thy kist f;irewell ; Sleep soft where death thickest descendelh in rain, The friend tliou forsakest thy side sLaü regaiu. " HIthervard, tt-ithèrwartl rolls thefight, Dart anti more darkly day glooms into night. Brothers, God grant, hen tliis lifo is o'er, In the life to coine we m.iy meet once more. Harkte the hoofs thutgallopiug go, Theadjutants tlying, The horsemon presa hard on the flytng foe, Their thunder buoma iu dying. Victcry ! The terror has scized ou the daytards all, And their colors f all. Victory I Closed is the bruntof the gloriotis ftgh And the day like a coniueror burstsou the night, Vampet and fife swelüng choral along, lietrinmph already sweeps marching tQCOBg. '"arewell, fallen brotliers, though this lif is o'or, ïere isanotfaer in which we shall moet once more.