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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE RUBAIYAT OF BATTLE, by WILLIAM A. PHELON
First Line: Wake--for the dawn has come, and o'er the top
Last Line: And seek repose amid the hostile dead!
Subject(s): Death; Soldiers; War; World War I; Dead, The; First World War
First Line: Wake--for the dawn has come, and o'er the top
Last Line: And seek repose amid the hostile dead!
Subject(s): Death; Soldiers; War; World War I; Dead, The; First World War
WAKE—for the dawn has come, and o'er the top
Our wave must go, without a pause or stop
Till the Objective's gained—so on and on
Till you are There—unless, perchance, you drop.
Into the Trench, the hostile Trench, and there
Fight to the death, and do not fight too fair—
Remember, that the murderers of Hell
Are lurking in each nook, each hidden lair!
Use the gray steel to pay the long-owed debt,
The yard-long steel, the driving bayonet—
Put all your power behind the deadly thrust,
Nor cease until the blade is redly wet!
Rest in the Trench, whence all the foes have fled,
Spare those with hands high-raised above the head,
Then count it as a day's work, bravely done,
And seek repose amid the hostile dead!
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A FOOL THERE WAS by WILLIAM A. PHELON