Robert Bridges, ed. (1844–1930). The Spirit of Man: An Anthology. 1916. | | | | From Dum agonizatur anima |
Digby Mackworth Dolben (1848–1867) |
| | | .. AND 1 some are there unscathed of flame or sword | |
| Yet on their brows the seal of suffering, | |
| And in their hands the rose of martyrdom,.. | |
| A fount of wonder in their pensive eyes, | |
| Sprung from the thought that pain is consummate— | 5 |
| ‘To him that overcometh’—half forgotten | |
| The victory, so long the battle was, | |
| Begun when manhood was a thing to be: | |
| Not as they send the boyish sailor out, | |
| A father’s lingering hand amid his hair, | 10 |
| A mother’s kisses warm upon his cheek, | |
| And in his heart the unspoken consciousness | |
| That though upon his grave no gentle fingers | |
| Shall set the crocus, yet in the old home | |
| There shall be aye a murmur of the sea, | 15 |
| A fair remembrance and a tender pride. | |
| Not so for these the dawn of battle rose … | |
| | | Note 1. Dolben. From Dum agonizatur anima in ‘Poems’. No. 43. [back] | | |
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