Harper's Young People, September 5, 1882

Harper's Young People, September 5, 1882 - An Illustrated Weekly

There is not in all the north countrie, Nor yet on the Humber line, A town with a prouder record than Newcastle-upon-the-Tyne. Roman eagles have kept its walls; Saxon, and Dane, and Scot Have left the glamour of noble deeds, With their names on this fair spot. From the reign of William Rufus, The monarchs of every line Had a grace for loyal Newcastle, The city upon the Tyne. By the Nuns' Gate, and up Pilgrim Street, What pageants have held their way! But in seventeen hundred and sixty-three, One lovely morn in May, There was a sight in bonnie Newcastle! Oh, that I had been there! To hear the call of the trumpeters Thrilling the clear spring air, To hear the roar of the cannon, And the drummer's gathering beat, And the eager hum of the multitudes Waiting upon the street. Just at noon was a tender hush, And a funeral march was heard; With arms reversed and colors tied, Came the men of the Twenty-third. And Lennox, their noble leader, bore The shreds of a faded flag, The battle-flag of the regiment, Shot to a glorious rag; Shot into shreds upon its staff, Torn in a hundred fights, From the torrid plains of India To the cold Canadian heights. There was not an inch of bunting left; How could it float again Over the faithful regiment It never had led in vain? And oh, the hands that had carried it! It was not cloth and wood; It stood for a century's heroes, And was crimson with their blood; It stood for a century's comrades. They could not cast it away, And so with a soldier's honors They were burying it that day. In the famous old North Humber fort, Where the Roman legions trod, With the roar of cannon and roll of drums They laid it under the sod. But it wasn't a tattered flag alone They buried with tender pride; It was every faithful companion That under the flag had died. It was honor, courage, and loyalty That thrilled that mighty throng Standing bare-headed and silent as The old flag passed along. So when the grasses had covered it, There was a joyful strain; And the soldiers, stirred to a noble thought, Marched proudly home again. The citizens went to their shops once more, The collier went to his mine; The shepherd went to the broomy hills, And the sailor to the Tyne; But men and women and children felt That it had been well to be Just for an hour or two face to face With honor and loyalty. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 59586
Author: Various
Release Date: May 23, 2019
Format: eBook
Language: English