Ode To General Gordon by F. L. Gardiner (19th Century) Poem by Herman Jeeves

I.
I see before me a desert of sand,
And a palm-tree alone in a lonely land,
And a burning sky of dusky red,
And a river all parched in its arid bed,
And a horseman who rides with a patient face,
Which gleams with the light of a godly grace.
With some by his side who are staunch and
true-
For no stranger is he to a faithful few-
And an eye with a mild, but sorrowing gaze,
Still straining ahead through the mist and haze;
With a will like steel, and a mind as strong,
To help the weak, or redeem a wrong;
With a hopeful heart, and an arm as brave
As any that ever was sent to save-
I see before me a desert plain,
And a face that will never be seen again.

II.

I see rushing on through blood and smoke,
Against spear, and spike, and sabre stroke,
A gallant band who know no fear,
And heed not sabre, spike, or spear;
I see again that form of grace,
With the patient air, and godly face;
I see-within a far-off town,
Whose walls the hordes are hurling down-
A brave man, with a fearless eye,
As he murmurs a vow to win or die,
Though he knows that one who had sworn by
His sword
Would open the gates to the savage horde-
I see him hopeful and firm and true,
And still by his side a dauntless few,
And seem to hear - though his lips are dumb -
His anguished cry-‘Will they never come? '

III.

I see before me, bereft of breath,
With the glazing eye which tells of death,
All cold and grim with a bloody stain,
A corpse stretched out on the desert plain.
Is this the man with the godly grace,
With the patient air and heroic face?
Is this the man who prayed for peace,
Who to strive for his country would never cease?
Is this the man with steel-like mind,
Who love and home would leave behind?
Who hardships and perils would undertake
Alone-for his country's honour's sake? -
Yes, this is the man thus left to his fate,
While his countrymen moan, ‘Alas, too late! '