The Farewell
’Tis not the untried soldier new to danger
Who fears to enter into active strife.
Amidst the roll of drums, the cannon’s rattle,
He craves adventure, and thinks not of life.
But the scarred veteran knows the price of glory,
He does not court the conflict or the fray.
He has no longing to rehearse that gory
And most dramatic act, of war’s dark play.
He who to love has always been a stranger
All unafraid may linger in your spell.
My heart has known the warfare, and its danger.
It craves no repetition—so farewell.