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THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON.

O good gray head which all men knew,

O voice from which their omens all men drew,
O iron nerve to true occasion true,

O fall'n at length that tower of strength

Which stood four-square to all the winds that blew !
Such was he whom we deplore.

The long self-sacrifice of life is o'er:

The great World-victor's victor will be seen no more.

V.

All is over and done:

Render thanks to the Giver,

England, for thy son.

Let the bell be toll'd.

Render thanks to the Giver,

And render him to the mould.

Under the cross of gold

That shines over city and river,

There he shall rest for ever

Among the wise and the bold.

Let the bell be toll'd;

And a reverent people behold

The towering car, the sable steeds :

Bright let it be with his blazon'd deeds,

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Dark in its funeral fold.

Let the bell be toll'd;

And the sound of the sorrowing anthem roll'd
Thro' the dome of the golden cross,

And the volleying cannon thunder his loss;
He knew their voices of old.

For many a time in many a clime
His captain's-ear has heard them boom
Bellowing victory, bellowing doom;
When he with those deep voices wrought,
Guarding realms and kings from shame;
With those deep voices our dead captain taught
The tyrant, and asserts his claim

In that dread sound to the great name,
Which he has worn so pure of blame,
In praise and in dispraise the same,
A man of well-attemper'd frame.
O civic muse, to such a name,
To such a name for ages long,

To such a name

Preserve a broad approach of fame,
And ever-ringing avenues of song.

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON.

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VI.

Who is he that cometh, like an honour'd guest,

With banner and with music, with soldier and with priest,

With a nation weeping, and breaking on my rest?

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Mighty seaman, this is he

Was great by land as thou by sea.

Thine island loves thee well, thou famous man,

The greatest sailor since our world began.

Now, to the roll of muffled drums,

To thee the greatest soldier comes;
For this is he

Was great by land as thou by sea;
His martial wisdom kept us free;
O warrior-seaman, this is he,
This is England's greatest son,
Worthy of our gorgeous rites,
And worthy to be laid by thee;
He that gain'd a hundred fights,
And never lost an English gun;
He that in his earlier day
Against the myriads of Assaye
Clash'd with his fiery few and won:

And underneath another sun

Made the soldier, led him on,

And ever great and greater grew,

Beating from the wasted vines

All their marshals' bandit swarms

Back to France with countless blows;

Till their host of eagles flew

Past the Pyrenean pines,

Follow'd up in valley and glen
With blare of bugle, clamour of men,
Roll of cannon and clash of arms,
And England pouring on her foes.
Such a war had such a close.
He withdrew to brief repose.

Again their ravening eagle rose

In anger, wheel'd on Europe-shadowing wings,
And barking for the thrones of kings,

Till one that sought but Duty's iron crown

On that loud sabbath shook the spoiler down

A day of onsets of despair!

Dash'd on every rocky square

Their surging charges foam'd themselves away;

Last, the Prussian trumpet blew ;

Thro' the long-tormented air

Heaven flash'd a sudden jubilant ray,

And down we swept and charged and overthrew.

So great a soldier taught us there,

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON.

What long-enduring hearts could do

In that world's-earthquake, Waterloo !
Mighty seaman, tender and true,

And pure as he from taint of craven guile,
O saviour of the silver-coasted isle,

O shaker of the Baltic and the Nile,
If aught of things that here befall
Touch a spirit among things divine,
If love of country move thee there at all,

Be glad, because his bones are laid by thine!

And thro' the centuries let a people's voice
In full acclaim,

A people's voice,

The proof and echo of all human fame,

A people's voice, when they rejoice

At civic revel and pomp and game,

Attest their great commander's claim,

With honour, honour, honour, honour to him,

Eternal honour to his name.

VII.

A people's voice! we are a people yet.
Tho' all men else their nobler dreams forget
Confused by brainless mobs and lawless Powers,

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