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THE RETURN OF THE REGIMENT.
The ghostly tread, of the gallant dead
Who walk in the ranks unseen.
Who walk in the ranks unseen.
Crippled and mangled in trunk and limb
Are these, whose souls have passed the brim
Of that wide sea which, strange and dim,
Knows no returning flow;
Solemn and still, in strange array,
Pallid with illness, and gaunt and gray,—
The ghosts of those who went away
But fourteen months ago!
Are these, whose souls have passed the brim
Of that wide sea which, strange and dim,
Knows no returning flow;
Solemn and still, in strange array,
Pallid with illness, and gaunt and gray,—
The ghosts of those who went away
But fourteen months ago!
The eyes of women and lips of men
Welcome the soldiers of battles ten,
Coming back to their homes again,
Sobered, but not dismayed.
Uncover your head and hold your breath;
This boon not every lifetime hath,—
To look on men who have walked with death,
And have not been afraid!
Welcome the soldiers of battles ten,
Coming back to their homes again,
Sobered, but not dismayed.
Uncover your head and hold your breath;
This boon not every lifetime hath,—
To look on men who have walked with death,
And have not been afraid!
