Liege

William Watson 1858 (Burley in Wharfedale) – 1935 (Rottingdean)



Betwixt the Foe and France was she --
France the immortal, France the free.
The Foe, like one vast living sea,
Drew nigh.
He dreamed that none his tide would stay;
But when he bade her to make way,
She, through her cannon, answered, 'Nay,
Not I.'

No tremor and no fear she showed;
She held the pass, she barred the road,
While Death's unsleeping feet bestrode
The ground.
So long as deeds of noblest worth
Are sung with joy, and tears, and mirth,
Her glory shall to the ends of the Earth
Resound.

Watched by a world that yearned to aid,
Lonely she stood but undismayed.
Resplendent was the part she played,
And pure.
Praised be her heroes, proud her sons!
She threw her soul into the guns,
Her name shall, with the loveliest ones,
Endure.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

42 sec read
61

Quick analysis:

Scheme AAABCCCB DDDEFFFE GCGHIIIH
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 723
Words 140
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8

William Watson

William Watson, was a surgeon in the 105th Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers during the American Civil War. more…

All William Watson poems | William Watson Books

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