That courage bred of meeting cold makes martial bosoms glow;
And they point to mighty generals the northern folk among,
And call mankind emasculate where southern waters flow.
They forget to look at history and see the nations grow!
The cohorts of Assyrian kings, the Pharaohs’ charioteers,
The march of Alexander, the Persians’ conquering spears,
The legions of the Romans, from Ethiop to Hun,
The power that mastered all the world and held it years on years,—
Came to man in summer lands beneath a summer sun.
It is said that human nature needeth hardship to be strong,