Epitaph On An Army of Mercenaries



These, in the day when heaven was falling,
The hour when earth's foundations fled,
Followed their mercenary calling
And took their wages and are dead.

Their shoulders held the sky suspended;
They stood, and earth's foundations stay;
What God abandoned, these defended,
And saved the sum of things for pay.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 01, 2023

16 sec read
242

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CDCD
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 306
Words 52
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 4, 4

Alfred Edward Housman

Alfred Edward Housman, usually known as A. E. Housman, was an English classical scholar and poet, best known to the general public for his cycle of poems A Shropshire Lad.  more…

All Alfred Edward Housman poems | Alfred Edward Housman Books

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    "Epitaph On An Army of Mercenaries" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/875/epitaph-on-an-army-of-mercenaries>.

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