THERE is a captain that commands, And never but to victory: 'The counsel of thine heart it stands, No man so faithful unto thee.' Though seven senses watch the wall, And all thy courage leap at call, He is thine ark and arsenal, Thine armour and artillery. Yea, while the cloakèd sentries tramp And challenge with a deep 'All's well!' He lists the sappers from the camp Encroaching on thy citadel; Invisible he tries the guns, And leaning o'er the bastions Discerns the tented legions, Earthwork and trench and parallel. O man! in vain they creep and mine; Thy ramp remains inviolate. But if by folly or design Thou force that friend to abdicate, A broken pole, a trodden keep, The standard of thy soul shall weep, And all her trophies lie a heap That owls and satyrs desecrate. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SPRINGTIME by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON EPITAPH: FOR A VIRGIN LADY by COUNTEE CULLEN THE HEART OF THE BRUCE by WILLIAM EDMONSTOUNE AYTOUN THE SHIP OF RIO by WALTER JOHN DE LA MARE THE FLYING DUTCHMAN by EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON RELEASE by GLADYS NAOMI ARNOLD SONNET ON PIETRO REGGIO HIS SETTING TO MUSIC MR. COWLEY'S POEMS by PHILIP AYRES |