One form of courage nerves the soldier's arm,

Excitement overcomes the wild alarm

Which at the onset e'en the bravest feel,

Though self-possession may that fear conceal.

The unromantic dangers of the storm

Require another and a sterner form,

For no emotion nerves the craven breast

To tempt the snowslide on the mountain's crest;

That noblest element unnoticed thrives

Beneath the surface in unnumbered lives;