IN my heart is the sound of drums And the sweep of the bugles calling; The day of the Great Adventure comes, And the tramp of feet is falling, falling, Ominous falling, everywhere, By street and lane, by field and square,— To answer the Voice appalling! One by one they have put down The tool, the pen, and the racquet; One by one they have donned the brown And the blue, the knapsack and jacket; With a smile for the friend of a happier day, With a kiss for the love that would bid them to stay,— They are off by the train and packet. What fate, what star, what sun, what field, What sea shall know their daring? Shall the battle-reek or the dead clam yield Their wreaths that are preparing? Shall they merely stand and wait the call? Shall they hear it, rush and slay and fall? What matter?—their swords are baring! We stand in the crowds that see them go— We who are old and weak, unready,— We see the red blood destined to flow Flushing their cheeks, as with footstep steady, With a tramp and a tramp they file along, Our brave, our true, our young, our strong, And the fever burns us fierce and heady. With God, then forth, by sea and land, To your Adventure beyond story; No Argonaut, no Crusader band Ere passed with such exceeding glory; Though ye seek fields both strange and far, Ye are at home where heroes are! Such is the prayer we send your star,— We who are weak and old and hoary. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE GOLDEN CORPSE by STEPHEN VINCENT BENET THE TRASH MEN by CHARLES BUKOWSKI THE WOMEN WITH FABLED HAIR by MADELINE DEFREES THE BIRDS DO THUS by ROBERT FROST ECSTASY by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON INTERRACIAL by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON |