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154 Than this nothing has better served, it has served all,

Served the fluent-tongued and subtle-sensed Greek, and long ere the Greek,

Served in building the buildings that last longer than any,

Served the Hebrew, the Persian, the most ancient Hindustanee,

Served the mound-raiser on the Mississippi, served those whose relics remain in Central America,

Served Albic temples in woods or on plains, with unhewn pillars and the druids,

Served the artificial clefts, vast, high, silent, on the snow-cover'd hills of Scandinavia,

Served those who time out of mind made on the granite walls rough sketches of the sun, moon, stars, ships, ocean waves,

Served the paths of the irruptions of the Goths, served the pastoral tribes and nomads,

Served the long distant Kelt, served the hardy pirates of the Baltic,

Served before any of those the venerable and harmless men of Ethiopia,

Served the making of helms for the galleys of pleasure and the making of those for war,

Served all great works on land and all great works on the sea,

For the mediæval ages and before the mediæval ages,

Served not the living only then as now, but served the dead.

I see the European headsman,

He stands mask'd, clothed in red, with huge legs and strong naked arms,

And leans on a ponderous axe.

(Whom have you slaughter'd lately European headsman?

Whose is that blood upon you so wet and sticky?)

I see the clear sunsets of the martyrs,

I see from the scaffolds the descending ghosts,

Ghosts of dead lords, uncrown'd ladies, impeach'd ministers, rejected kings,

Rivals, traitors, poisoners, disgraced chieftains and the rest.

I see those who in any land have died for the good cause,

The seed is spare, nevertheless the crop shall never run out,

(Mind you O foreign kings, O priests, the crop shall never run out.)

I see the blood wash'd entirely away from the axe,

Both blade and helve are clean,