Page:Lollingdon Downs and other poems, Masefield, 1917.djvu/32

26 And, though he could not die nor shrink,

He felt his being beat by force

To horse shoes stamped on by the horse,

And into troughs whence cattle drink.

He felt his blood, his dear delight,

Beat into shares, he felt it rive

The green earth red; he was alive,

Dragged through the earth by horses' might.

He felt his brain, that once had planned

His daily life, changed to a chain

Which curbed a sail or dragged a wain,

Or hoisted ship-loads to the land.

He felt his heart, that once had thrilled

With love of wife and little ones,

Cut out and mingled with his bones

To pin the bricks where men rebuilt.

He felt his very self impelled

To common uses, till he cried,

"There's more within me than is tried,

More than you ever think to weld.