Southward　a　hundred　windy　leagues；　through
  storms　that　blind　and　bar；
  Our　cheated　cruisers　search　the　waves；　our　cap…
  tains　seek　the　war；
  But　here　the　port　of　peril　is；　the　foeman's　dread…
  noughts　ride
  Sullen　and　black　against　the　moon；　upon　a　sullen
  tide。
  And　only　we　to　launch　ourselves　against　their
  stark　advance
  To　guide　uncertain　lightnings　through　these　treach…
  erous　seas　of　chance！
  。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。
  And　now　a　wheeling　searchlight　paints　a　signal　on
  the　night；
  And　now　the　bellowing　guns　are　loud　with　the
  wild　lust　of　fight。
  。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。
  And　now；　her　flanks　of　steel　apulse　with　all　the
  power　of　hell；
  Forth　from　the　darkness　leaps　in　pride　a　hateful
  miracle；
  The　flagship　of　their　Admiraland　now　God　help
  and　save！
  We　challenge　Death　at　Death's　own　game；　we
  sink　beneath　the　wave！
  。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。
  Ah；　steady　nowand　one　good　blowone　straight
  stab　through　the　gloom
  Ah；　good！the　thrust　went　home！she　founders
  flounders　to　her　doom！
  Full　speed　ahead！those　damned　quick…firing　guns
  but　let　them　bark
  What's　thatthe　dynamos？they've　got　us；　men！
  Christ！　in　the　dark！
  NICHOLAS　OF　MONTENEGRO
  （1912）
  HE　speaks　as　straight　as　his　rifles　shot；
  As　straight　as　a　thrusting　blade；
  Waiting　the　deed　that　shall　trouble　the　truce
  His　savage　guns　have　made。
  〃You　have　dared　the　wrath　of　a　dozen　states；〃
  Was　the　challenge　that　he　heard；
  〃We　can　die　but　once！〃　said　the　grim　old　King
  As　he　gripped　his　mountain　sword。
  〃For　I　paid　in　blood　for　the　town　I　took；
  The　blood　of　my　brave　men　slain；
  And　if　you　covet　the　town　I　took
  You　must　buy　it　with　blood　again！〃
  Stern　old　King　of　the　stark；　black　hills；
  Where　the　lean；　fierce　eagles　breed；
  Your　speech　rings　true　as　your　good　sword　rings
  And　you　are　a　king　indeed！
  DICKENS
  〃The　only　book　that　the　party　had　was　a　volume　of　Dickens。
  During　the　six　months　that　they　lay　in　the　cave　which　they
  had　hacked　in　the　ice；　waiting　for　spring　to　come；　they　read
  this　volume　through　again　and　again。〃From　a　newspaper
  report　of　an　antarctic　expedition。
  HUDDLED　within　their　savage　lair
  They　hearkened　to　the　prowling　wind；
  They　heard　the　loud　wings　of　despair　。　。　。
  And　madness　beat　against　the　mind。　。　。　。
  A　sunless　world　stretched　stark　outside
  As　if　it　had　cursed　God　and　died；
  Dumb　plains　lay　prone　beneath　the　weight
  Of　cold　unutterably　great；
  Iron　ice　bound　all　the　bitter　seas；
  The　brutal　hills　were　bleak　as　hate。　。　。　。
  Here　none　but　Death　might　walk　at　ease！
  Then　Dickens　spoke；　and；　lo！　the　vast
  Unpeopled　void　stirred　into　life；
  The　dead　world　quickened；　the　mad　blast
  Hushed　for　an　hour　its　idiot　strife
  With　nothingness。　。　。　。
  And　from　the　gloom；
  Parting　the　flaps　of　frozen　skin；
  Old　friends　and　dear　came　trooping　in；
  And　light　and　laughter　filled　the　room。　。　。　。
  Voices　and　faces；　shapes　beloved；
  Babbling　lips　and　kindly　eyes；
  Not　ghosts；　but　friends　that　lived　and　moved　。　。　。
  They　brought　the　sun　from　other　skies；
  They　wrought　the　magic　that　dispels
  The　bitterer　part　of　loneliness　。　。　。
  And　when　they　vanished　each　man　dreamed
  His　dream　there　in　the　wilderness。　。　。　。
  One　heard　the　chime　of　Christmas　bells；
  And；　staring　down　a　country　lane；
  Saw　bright　against　the　window…pane
  The　firelight　beckon　warm　and　red。　。　。　。
  And　one　turned　from　the　waterside
  Where　Thames　rolls　down　his　slothful　tide
  To　breast　the　human　sea　that　beats
  Through　roaring　London's　battered　streets
  And　revel　in　the　moods　of　men。　。　。　。
  And　one　saw　all　the　April　hills
  Made　glad　with　golden　daffodils；
  And　found　and　kissed　his　love　again。　。　。　。
  。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。　　　　　。
  By　all　the　troubled　hearts　he　cheers
  In　homely　ways　or　by　lost　trails；
  By　all　light　shed　through　all　dark　years
  When　hope　grows　sick　and　courage　quails；
  We　hail　him　first　among　his　peers；
  Whether　we　sorrow；　sing；　or　feast；
  He；　too；　hath　known　and　understood
  Master　of　many　moods；　high　priest
  Of　mirth　and　lord　of　cleansing　tears！
  A　POLITICIAN
  LEADER　no　more；　be　judged　of　us！
  Hailed　Chief；　and　loved；　of　yore
  Youth；　and　the　faith　of　youth；　cry　out：
  Leader　and　Chief　no　more！
  We　dreamed　a　Prophet；　flushed　with　faith；
  Content　to　toil　in　pain
  If　that　his　sacrifice　might　be；
  Somehow；　his　people's　gain。
  We　saw　a　vision；　and　our　blood
  Beat　red　and　hot　and　strong：
  〃Lead　us　（we　cried）　to　war　against
  Some　foul；　embattled　wrong！〃
  We　dreamed　a　Warrior　whose　sword
  Was　edged　for　sham　and　shame；
  We　dreamed　a　Statesman　far　above
  The　vulgar　lust　for　fame。
  We　were　not　cynics；　and　we　dreamed
  A　Man　who　made　no　truce
  With　lies　nor　ancient　privilege
  Nor　old；　entrenched　abuse。
  We　dreamed　。　。　。　we　dreamed　。　。　。　　Youth　dreamed
  a　dream！
  And　even　you　forgot
  Yourself；　one　moment；　and　dreamed；　too
  Struck；　while　your　mood　was　hot！
  Struck　three　or　four　good　blows　。　。　。　and　then
  Turned　back　to　easier　things：
  The　cheap　applause；　the　blatant　mob；
  The　praise　of　underlings！
  Praise　。　。　。　praise　。　。　。　was　ever　man　so　filled；
  So　avid　still；　of　praise？
  So　hungry　for　the　crowd's　acclaim；
  The　sycophantic　phrase？
  O　you　whom　Greatness　beckoned　to　。　。　。
  O　swollen　Littleness
  Who　turned　from　Immortality
  To　fawn　upon　Success！
  O　blind　with　love　of　self；　who　led
  Youth's　vision　to　defeat；
  Bawling　and　brawling　for　rewards；
  Loud；　in　the　common　street！
  O　you　who　were　so　quick　to　judge
  Leader；　and　loved；　of　yore
  Hear　now　the　judgment　of　our　youth：
  Leader　and　Chief　no　more！
  THE　BAYONET
  （1914）
  THE　great　guns　slay　from　a　league　away；　the　death…
  bolts　fly　unseen；
  And　bellowing　hill　replies　to　hill；　machine　to　brute
  machine；
  But　still　in　the　end　when　the　long　lines　bend　and
  the　battle　hangs　in　doubt
  They　take　to　the　steel　in　the　same　old　way　that
  their　fathers　fought　it　out
  It　is　man　to　man　and　breast　to　breast　and　eye
  to　bloodshot　eye
  And　the　reach　and　twist　of　the　thrusting　wrist；　as
  it　was　in　the　days　gone　by！
  Along　the　shaken　hills　the　guns　their　drumming
  thunder　roll
  But　the　keen　blades　thrill　with　the　lust　to　kill
  that　leaps　from　the　slayer's　soul！
  For　hand　and　heart　and　living　steel；　one　pulse　of
  hate　they　feel。
  Is　your　clan　afraid　of　the　naked　blade？　　Does　it
  flinch　from　the　bitter　steel？
  Perish　your　dreams　of　conquest　then；　your　swollen
  hopes　and　bold；
  For　empire　dwells　with　the　stabbing　blade；　as　it
  did　in　the　days　of　old！
  THE　BUTCHERS　AT　PRAYER
  （1914）
  EACH　nation　as　it　draws　the　sword
  And　flings　its　standard　to　the　air
  Petitions　piously　the　Lord
  Vexing　the　void　abyss　with　prayer。
  O　irony　too　deep　for　mirth！
  O　posturing　apes　that　rant；　and　dare
  This　antic　attitude！　　O　Earth；
  With　your　wild　jest　of　wicked　prayer！
  I　dare　not　laugh　。　。　。　a　rising　swell
  Of　laughter　breaks　in　shrieks　somewhere
  No　doubt　they　relish　it　in　Hell；
  This　cosmic　jest　of　Earth　at　prayer！
  SHADOWS
  HAUNTED
  （THE　GHOST　SPEAKS）
  A　GHOST　is　the　freak　of　a　sick　man's　brain？
  Then　why　do　ye　start　and　shiver　so？
  That's　the　sob　and　drip　of　a　leaky　drain？
  But　it　sounds　like　another　noise　we　know！
  The　heavy　drops　drummed　red　and　slow；
  The　drops　ran　down　as　slow　as　fate
  Do　ye　hear　them　still？it　was　long　ago！
  But　here　in　the　shadows　I　wait；　I　wait！
  Spirits　there　be　that　pass　in　peace；
  Mine　passed　in　a　whorl　of　wrath　and　dole；
  And　the　hour　that　your　choking　breath　shall　cease
  I　will　get　my　grip　on　your　naked　soul
  Nor　pity　may　stay　nor　prayer　cajole
  I　would　drag　ye　whining　from　Hell's　own　gate：
  To　me；　to　me；　ye　must　pay　the　toll！
  And　here　in　the　shadows　I　wait；　I　wait！
  The　dead　they　are　dead；　they　are　out　of　the　way？
  And　a　ghost　is　the　whim　of　an　ailing　mind？
  Then　why　did　ye　whiten　with　fear　to…day
  When　ye　heard　a　voice　in　the　calling　wind？
  Why　did　ye　falter　and　look　behind
  At　the　creeping　mists　when　the　hour　grew　late？
  Ye　would　see　my　face　were　ye　stricken　blind！
  And　here　in　the　shadows　I　wait；　I　wait！
  Drink　and　forget；　make　merry　and　boast；
  But　the　boast　rings　false　and　the　jest　is　thin
  In　the　hour　that　I　meet　ye　ghost　to　ghost；
  Stripped　of　the　flesh　that　ye　skulk　within；
  Stripped　to　the　coward　soul　'ware　of　its　sin；
  Ye　shall　learn；　ye　shall　learn；　whether　dead　men
  hate！
  Ah；　a　weary　time　has　the　waiting　been；
  But　here　in　the　shadows　I　wait；　I　wait！
  A　NIGHTMARE
  LEAGUES　before　me；　leagues　behind；