His duty bade him fight, and he would fight;
His country bade him win, and he would win
If bravery could put the foe to flight.
If courage and a sturdy heart within
Could win the day, he feared not the event;
His men were veterans on victory bent.
XX.
Yet, as he lay upon his couch at rest
Among his officers, he seemed to be
Prescient of his fate; for he addressed
His friends in verses from an Elegy,
And to this line a special accent gave:
"The paths of glory lead but to the grave."
XXI.
Foreknowledge of his fate perchance impressed
This truth upon him. Glory's path would lead
Him to the grave that day, and there at rest,
No longer pain or glory would he heed.
Full well might these appear a mockery
To him who soon would meet eternity.[C]
XXII.
And who will blame him if his thought recurred,
At such a time, to England and the maid
Beloved, to whom he gave his plighted word
Ere parting? Who will wonder at the shade
Of sorrow darkling on his troubled brow,
As he reflects on what may not be now?
XXIII.