Sound the Assembly! Come! Forward! Quick march!
What! Feather-bed soldiers? Bah! give them the lie.
Divested by war of Society starch
They will shout "'Tis a glorious death to die!"--
What land in the world could produce such a show
Of heroes, who face both siroccos and snow,
Rush madly to danger, and never lie low?
So, Sound the Assembly! Blow, Buglemen, blow!
Sound the Assembly!
Sound the Assembly! Form, citizens, form!
From smoke of the city, from country so green,
A horse of irregulars sweeps like a storm
To defend with their lives their dear country and Queen!
Sound the Assembly! Come! Volunteers, come!
Leave oldsters at grinding and tilling the sod!
Bold Yoemen, enrolled for defence of their home,
Enlist with a cheer for the Empire, thank God!--
To the front! to the front! with their faces aglow,
They will march, the dear lads, with a pulse and a go;
Wave flags o'er the Workman, the Johnnie, the Beau,
So, Sound the Assembly! Blow, Buglemen, blow!
Sound the Assembly!
THE ABSENT-MINDED BEGGAR.
BY RUDYARD KIPLING.
When you've shouted "Rule Britannia"--when you've sung "God Save the
Queen"--
When you've finished killing Kruger with your mouth--
Will you kindly drop a shilling in my little tambourine
For a gentleman in kharki ordered South?
He's an absent-minded beggar and his weaknesses are great--
But we and Paul must take him as we find him--
He is out on active service, wiping something off a slate--
And he's left a lot o' little things behind him!
Duke's son--cook's son--son of a hundred kings--
(Fifty thousand horse and foot going to Table Bay!)
Each of 'em doing his country's work (and who's to look after their
things?)
Pass the hat for your credit's sake, and pay--pay--pay!
There are girls he married secret, asking no permission to,
For he knew he wouldn't get it if he did.
Pages:
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279