Kitchener's March

Item

Kitchener's March

Not the muffled drums for him

Nor the wailing of the fife.

Trumpets blaring to the charge

Were the music of his life.

Let the music of his death

Be the feet of marching men;

Let his heart a thousandfold

Take the field again.

Of his patience, of his calm,

Of his quiet faithfulness,

England, raise your hero's cairn!

He is worthy of no less.

Stone by stone, in silence laid,

Singly, surely, let it grow.

He whose living was to serve,

Would have had it so.

There's a body drifting down

For the mighty sea to keep.

There's a spirit cannot die

While a heart is left to leap

In the land he gave his all,

Steel alike to praise and hate.

He has saved the life he spent,

Death has struck too late.

Not the muffled drums for him,

Nor the wailing of the fife --

Trumpets blaring to the charge

Were the music of his life.

Let the music of his death

Be the feet of marching men!

Let his heart a thousandfold

Take the field again!

Title
Kitchener's March
Identifier
greatwar_cunliffe020
Media
<html xmlns:tei="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0"><body><h1 align="center" class="head">Kitchener's March</h1><div class="stanza"><p class="line"><span class="smallcaps">Not</span> the muffled drums for him</p><p class="line">Nor the wailing of the fife.</p><p class="line">Trumpets blaring to the charge</p><p class="line">Were the music of his life.</p><p class="line">Let the music of his death</p><p class="line">Be the feet of marching men;</p><p class="line">Let his heart a thousandfold</p><p class="line">Take the field again.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">Of his patience, of his calm,</p><p class="line">Of his quiet faithfulness,</p><p class="line">England, raise your hero's cairn!</p><p class="line">He is worthy of no less.</p><p class="line">Stone by stone, in silence laid,</p><p class="line">Singly, surely, let it grow.</p><p class="line">He whose living was to serve,</p><p class="line">Would have had it so.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">There's a body drifting down</p><p class="line">For the mighty sea to keep.</p><p class="line">There's a spirit cannot die</p><p class="line">While a heart is left to leap</p><p class="line">In the land he gave his all,</p><p class="line">Steel alike to praise and hate.</p><p class="line">He has saved the life he spent,</p><p class="line">Death has struck too late.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line" style="text-indent:%">Not the muffled drums for him,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:%">Nor the wailing of the fife --</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:%">Trumpets blaring to the charge</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:%">Were the music of his life.</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:%">Let the music of his death</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:%">Be the feet of marching men!</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:%">Let his heart a thousandfold</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:%">Take the field again!</p></div><p class="byline">-- Amelia Josephine Burr.</p></body></html>