Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War

by Herman Melville

Reap victory’s fruit while sound the core;

What sounder fruit than re-established law?

I know your partial thoughts do press

Solely on us for war’s unhappy stress;

But weigh—consider—look at all,

And broad anathema you’ll recall.

The censor’s charge I’ll not repeat,

The meddlers kindled the war’s white heat—

Vain intermeddlers and malign,

Both of the palm and of the pine;