26
Not Understood
HOW VON TEMPSKY DIED.
BRAVE young land, thy roll of glory shines with many a gallant name,
Thou hast many a thrilling story dear to honour, true to fame,
Thou canst boast a band of heroes whose undying deeds shall blaze,
When thy chronicles of valour shall be read in after days.
We are busy with the present, and we seldom glance behind—
Busy building up a nation, we seem thoughtless and unkind,
Sentiment is out of fashion, gratitude is fast asleep,
We have little time for thinking, little time to sing or weep—
Little time to sing their praises, or to weep for those who bought
Peace for us and for our children, with their life-blood; men who fought
With the hearts and souls of lions, ’gainst a fearless, savage foe,
Trusty rifle against rifle, hand to hand, and blow for blow;
For the nonce they are forgotten, but the time is close at hand,
When the men who saved our country shall be honor’d in the land.
Then, among the line of heroes, one shall take a foremost place,
One who was not of our people, one who was not of our race;
One who followed Glory’s beacon from his boyhood, till he fell,
Thou hast many a thrilling story dear to honour, true to fame,
Thou canst boast a band of heroes whose undying deeds shall blaze,
When thy chronicles of valour shall be read in after days.
We are busy with the present, and we seldom glance behind—
Busy building up a nation, we seem thoughtless and unkind,
Sentiment is out of fashion, gratitude is fast asleep,
We have little time for thinking, little time to sing or weep—
Little time to sing their praises, or to weep for those who bought
Peace for us and for our children, with their life-blood; men who fought
With the hearts and souls of lions, ’gainst a fearless, savage foe,
Trusty rifle against rifle, hand to hand, and blow for blow;
For the nonce they are forgotten, but the time is close at hand,
When the men who saved our country shall be honor’d in the land.
Then, among the line of heroes, one shall take a foremost place,
One who was not of our people, one who was not of our race;
One who followed Glory’s beacon from his boyhood, till he fell,
