ST as any soldier of the
He served his England, with the imminent
Poised at his heart.
Nor could the world
The constant peril of each burdened breath.
England, and the honour of England, he still
Walking the strict path, with the old high
Of those invincible knights who never
One hair's breadth from the way until they died.
Quietness he loved, and books, and the grave
Of England's Helicon, whose eternal
Shines like a lantern on that road of duty,
Discerned by few in this chaotic night;
And his own pen, foretelling his release,
Told us that he foreknew " the end was peace."II.
Soldier of England, he shall live
Among his friends, with the old proud flag above;
For even to-day her honour is in his keeping,
He has joined the hosts that guard her with their love.
They shine like stars, unnumbered happy legions,
In that high realm where all our darkness dies.
He moves with honour, in those loftier regions,
Above this " world of passion and of lies ";
For so he called it, keeping his own pure passionA silent flame before the true and good;
Not fawning on the throng in this world's
To come and see what all might see who would.
Soldier of England, perfect, gentle knight,
The soul of Sidney welcomes you to-night.
This poem was used as the dedication to Alfred Noyes book The Elfin Artist and other poems published by William Blackwood and Sons in 1920.
Sir Cecil Arthur Spring-Rice was a British diplomat.
He was appointed ambassador to the United States in 1912.
He died in Ottawa shortly after his retirement in 1918.
He wrote the text for the hymn I Vow to Thee My Country after being fired by the British government in a one-line telegram.
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Spring-Rice
