Page:A treasury of war poetry, British and American poems of the world war, 1914-1919.djvu/350

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Lulling thy senses with oblivion;

And from its sliding station in the skies

Thy dauntless soul upward in circles soared

To the sublime and purest radiance whence it sprang.

In all their eyries eagles shall mourn thy fate,

And leaving on the lonely crags and scaurs

Their unprotected young, shall congregate

High in the tenuous heaven and anger the sun

With screams, and with a wild audacity

Dare all the battle danger of thy flight;

Till weary with combat one shall desert the light,

Fall like a bolt of thunder and check his all

On the high ledge, smoky with mist and cloud,

Where his neglected eaglets shriek aloud,

And drawing the film across his sovereign sight

Shall dream of thy swift soul immortal

Mounting in circles, faithful beyond death. Duncan Campbell Scott

HAT high adventure, in what world afar,

Follows to-day,

Mid ampler air,

Heroic Guynemer?

What star,

Of all the myriad planets of our night,

Is by his glowing presence made more bright

Who chose the Dangerous way,

Scorning, while brave men died, ignobly safe to stay?

Into the unknown Vast,

Where few could follow him, he passed,—

On to the gate—the shadowy gate—

Of the Forbidden,

Seeking the knowledge jealous Fate

Had still so carefully from mortals hidden.