| |
| “LET us now praise famous men”— | |
| Men of little showing— | |
| For their work continueth, | |
| And their work continueth, | |
| Broad and deep continueth, | 5 |
| Greater than their knowing! | |
| |
| Western wind and open surge | |
| Took us from our mothers, | |
| Flung us on a naked shore | |
| (Twelve bleak houses by the shore! | 10 |
| Seven summers by the shore!) | |
| ’Mid two hundred brothers. | |
| |
| There we met with famous men | |
| Set in office o’er us; | |
| And they beat on us with rods— | 15 |
| Faithfully with many rods— | |
| Daily beat us on with rods, | |
| For the love they bore us! | |
| |
| Out of Egypt unto Troy— | |
| Over Himalaya— | 20 |
| Far and sure our bands have gone— | |
| Hy-Brazil or Babylon, | |
| Islands of the Southern Run, | |
| And Cities of Cathaia! | |
| |
| And we all praise famous men— | 25 |
| Ancients of the College; | |
| For they taught us common sense— | |
| Tried to teach us common sense— | |
| Truth and God’s Own Common Sense | |
| Which is more than knowledge! | 30 |
| |
| Each degree of Latitude | |
| Strung about Creation | |
| Seeth one or more of us | |
| (Of one muster each of us), | |
| Diligent in that he does, | 35 |
| Keen in his vocation. | |
| |
| This we learned from famous men, | |
| Knowing not its uses, | |
| When they showed, in daily work, | |
| Man must finish off his work— | 40 |
| Right or wrong, his daily work— | |
| And without excuses. | |
| |
| Servants of the Staff and chain, | |
| Mine and fuse and grapnel— | |
| Some, before the face of Kings, | 45 |
| Stand before the face of Kings; | |
| Bearing gifts to divers Kings— | |
| Gifts of case and shrapnel. | |
| |
| This we learned from famous men | |
| Teaching in our borders, | 50 |
| Who declarèd it was best, | |
| Safest, easiest, and best— | |
| Expeditious, wise, and best— | |
| To obey your orders. | |
| |
| Some beneath the further stars | 55 |
| Bear the greater burden: | |
| Set to serve the lands they rule, | |
| (Save he serve no man may rule), | |
| Serve and love the lands they rule; | |
| Seeking praise nor guerdon. | 60 |
| |
| This we learned from famous men, | |
| Knowing not we learned it. | |
| Only, as the years went by— | |
| Lonely, as the years went by— | |
| Far from help as years went by, | 65 |
| Plainer we discerned it. | |
| |
| Wherefore praise we famous men | |
| From whose bays we borrow— | |
| They that put aside To-day— | |
| All the joys of their To-day— | 70 |
| And with toil of their To-day | |
| Bought for us To-morrow! | |
| |
| Bless and praise we famous men— | |
| Men of little showing— | |
| For their work continueth, | 75 |
| And their work continueth, | |
| Broad and deep continueth, | |
| Great beyond their knowing! | |
| |
