An ominous owl with his solemn bass voice,
Sat moaning hard by; sat moaning hard by.
“The tyrant’s proud minions most gladly rejoice,
For he must soon die; for he must soon die.”
The brave fellow told them, no thing he restrain’d,
The cruel gen’ral; the cruel gen’ral;
His errand from camp, of the ends to be gain’d,
And said that was all; and said that was all.
They took him and bound him and bore him away,
Down the hill’s grassy side; down the hill’s grassy side.
’Twas there the base hirelings in royal array,
His cause did deride; his cause did deride.
Five minutes were given, short moments, no more,
For him to repent; for him to repent;
He pray’d for his mother, he ask’d not another;
To Heaven he went; to Heaven he went.
The faith of a martyr, the tragedy shew’d,
As he trod the last stage; as he trod the last stage.
And Britons will shudder at gallant Bale’s blood,
As his words do presage; as his words do presage.
“Thou pale king of terrors, thou life’s gloomy foe,
Go frighten the slave; go frighten the slave;
Tell tyrants, to you, their allegiance they owe.
No fears for the brave; no fears for the brave.”
References
- Johnston, Henry Phelps. Nathan Hale, 1776—Biography and Memorials. Yale University Press. New Haven, 1914.
- Stuart, I. W. Life of Captain Nathan Hale, the Martyr Spy of the American Revolution, F. A. Brown. Hartford, 1856.
- Hull, General William. Military and Civil Life. D. Appleton & Co. New York, 1848.
- Hale, Enoch. Diary. (In Appendix to an address delivered at Groton, Connecticut, September 7, 1881, by E. E. Hale.)
- Hempstead, Stephen. “Recollections.” Missouri Republican, January 18, 1827.
- Bostwick, Elisha. Pension Papers, in Hartford Courant, December 15, 1914.