Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow/The Veteran
THE VETERAN
UNDERNEATH the autumn sky,Haltingly, the lines go by.Ah, would steps were blithe and gay,As when first they marched away,Smile on lip and curl on brow,—Only white-faced gray-beards now,Standing on life's outer verge,E'en the marches sound a dirge.
Blow, you bugles, play, you fife,Rattle, drums, for dearest life.Let the flags wave freely so,As the marching legions go,Shout, hurrah and laugh and jest,This is memory at its best.(Did you notice at your quip,That old comrade's quivering lip?)
Ah, I see them as they come,Stumbling with the rumbling drum;But a sight more sad to meE'en than these ranks could beWas that one with cane upraisedWho stood by and gazed and gazed,Trembling, solemn, lips compressed,Longing to be with the rest.
Did he dream of old alarms,As he stood, "presented arms"?Did he think of field and campAnd the unremitting trampMile on mile—the lonely guardWhen he kept his midnight ward?Did he dream of wounds and scarsIn that bitter war of wars?
What of that? He stood and stands.In my memory—trembling hands,Whitened beard and cane and allAs if waiting for the call Once again: "To arms, my sons,"And his ears hear far-off guns,Roll of cannon and the treadOf the legions of the Dead!