The Volunteer

Sir Henry Newbolt 1862 (Bilston, Staffordshire) – 1938 (Kensington, London)



He leap to arms unbidden,
Unneeded, over-bold;
His face by earth is hidden,
His heart in earth is cold.

Curse on the reckless daring
That could not wait the call,
The proud fantastic bearing
That would be first to fall!

O tears of human passion,
Blue not the image true;
This was not folly's fashion,
This was the man we knew.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

19 sec read
126

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CDCD AXAA
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 323
Words 63
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4

Sir Henry Newbolt

Sir Henry John Newbolt, CH was an English poet, novelist and historian. He also had a very powerful role as a government adviser, particularly on Irish issues and with regard to the study of English in England. He is perhaps best remembered for his poems "Vitaï Lampada" and "Drake's Drum". more…

All Sir Henry Newbolt poems | Sir Henry Newbolt Books

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    "The Volunteer" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/35181/the-volunteer>.

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