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Sagas
of Vaster Britain: Poems of the Race, the Empire and
the Divinity of Man
by
William Wilfred Campbell
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THE
VANGUARD
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OUT
of the grey light
Into the daylight,
We are his battlemen
Riding along;
Century-laden
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To some
dim aidenn,
Hope in our vanguard,
Courage, our song.
‘ Check up the curb there!‘
‘ Firm in the stirrup there!‘
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‘
Steady! men, steady!‘
‘ Riding along!‘
Out of the grim light
Into the dim light,
Under the morning airs,
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Where
the pale stars
Fade with the dying
Murk of night flying,
Into the smoke-mists,
Over earth’s bars—
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Where
the dim sorrows
Of long-dead to-morrows
Sink into ashes,
Crumble to night—
Cheerfully, gravely,
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Manfully,
bravely,
Ride we, ride we,
Into His light.
There was an inn, we
Rang to begin, we
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Thundered
its rafters
With generous song—
There a low mound, we
Left a brave comrade,
Worn of the journey,
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| Riding
along.
There was a battle fought,
Fiercely the blades rang,
Horseman and charger
Grappled the foe—
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Hard
spent and hard hit,
Teeth clenched and foaming bit,
Out of the battle-smoke,
Forward we go.
Bravely faced, bravely won,
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Nobly
died, nobly done,
Lifting the firm face,
Riding along:
Always to hillward,
Truth and God-will-ward,
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Never
toward darkness,
Never toward wrong;
Not dumb cattle! men,
We are God’s battlemen,
Waging His fierce fights
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Under
the night,
Under the smoke-mists,
Through the dim centuries,
Ride we, ride we,
Into His light.
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Hold up the head there!
Quicker the tread there!
Eyes on the mountain heights!
Lift the old song!
‘Bravely the right goes,
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Down
with the dread foes,
Evil and sorrow,
Hate and old wrong!
Doubt but the battle-smoke,
Dusk but the morning’s cloak,
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70 |
Care
and despairing but
Dreams of the night;
Roll the grey mists up!
Drain deep the dawn-cup!
Ride we, ride we,
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| Into
His light!‘
Old men and young men,
Cheering the faint ones,
Bearing the weak ones,
Chiding the strong;
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80 |
Over
the dead past,
Ice-cold, furnace-blast,
Riding along;
We are His valiant hearts,
Wending His journey dread,
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85 |
Eyes
to the hills ahead,
Hearken our song:—
‘Watch for His dawning! mark,
Sorrow but the shrivelled bark,
Love the whit kernel sap;
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90 |
Hatred
and wrong
But the fierce, sudden hail,
Rattling our iron mail,
Riding along.’
Yea, as we thunder, we
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Know
earth’s old wonder, we
Feel all about us
Her splendour and tears;
Her might and her glory,
Her centuried story,
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Her
weird, blind caravan
Down the dead years.
Her grief and her wisdom,
Her heart-breaks and yearning,
Her legends of iron-eaten,
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Blood-crusted
wars:—
Her loves and despairings,
Wrecks of old dynasties,
Barbarous; splendid and
Old as the stars:—
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They
who look down on us,
Cold in their far-light,
Orient, mystical,
Under the night;
Weird in their silence,
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115 |
Grim,
fixed witnesses,
Long, of earth’s struggles,
Her great grim graveyards,
Of passion and might.
But under we thunder,
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120 |
Charge,
battle, and blunder,
Out of the night-mists
Unto the day,
Led by an impulse,
A fierce joy and heart-hope,
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Older
and stronger
And greater than they.
Sound the clear bugle there!
Wide let the summons blare!
Challenge the centuries,
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Fearless
of wrong!
Bury that dead face!
Strong heart, fill his place!
Tenderly, manfully,
Riding along!
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Eyes
to the right, ahead!
Grim be the way we tread,
Sound down the silence, murk,
Hope’s golden horn!
Sweet, sweet! silver clear!
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140 |
Challenging
despair and fear,
Though life be at its neap,
Death is but the morning sleep
Ere day be born.
Close up amain there!
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145 |
Curb
on that rein there!
Eyes hillward and Godward,
Forging ahead!
Down the dread journey,
Flashing the stern eye,
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150 |
Out
on dim iron-peaks
Lifetimes ahead!
Searching the night-line,
Murk’s fading white line,
For the dawn’s message,
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For
the day’s red;
Sinking old sorrows
In nobler to-morrows,
Ringing the levin
With earth’s battle-song;
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Hugging
the after-
Tears of old laughter,
Hopeward and Godward,
Riding along.
Eyes to the front there!
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Iron
‘gainst the brunt there!
Jarring the battle shock,
Under the night;
From earth’s weird wonder
We thunder, we thunder,
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Out
from the centuries’
Battle and blight;
Clear, clear, our bugles, clear,
Challenging despair and fear,
Ride we, ride we,
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| Into
His light. |
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