BEAT! BEAT! DRUMS!
by Walt Whitman (1819 � 1892) |
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Beat! beat! drums!--blow! bugles! blow!
Through the
windows--through doors--burst like a ruthless force,
Into
the solemn church, and scatter the congregation,
Into the
school where the scholar is studying;
Leave not the
bridegroom quiet--no happiness must he have now with his
bride,
Not the peaceful farmer any peace, ploughing his
field or gathering his
grain,
So fierce you whirr and
pound you drums--so shrill you bugles blow.
Beat!
beat! drums!--blow! bugles! blow!
Over the traffic of
cities--over the rumble of wheels in the streets;
Are
beds prepared for sleepers at night in the houses? no
sleepers must
sleep in those beds,
No bargainers'
bargains by day--no brokers or speculators--would they
continue?
Would the talkers be talking? would the singer
attempt to sing?
Would the lawyer rise in the court to
state his case before the judge?
Then rattle quicker,
heavier drums--you bugles wilder blow.
Beat! beat!
drums!--blow! bugles! blow!
Make no parley--stop for no
expostulation,
Mind not the timid--mind not the weeper or
prayer,
Mind not the old man beseeching the young man,
Let not the child's voice be heard, nor the mother's
entreaties,
Make even the trestles to shake the dead
where they lie awaiting the
hearses,
So strong you
thump O terrible drums--so loud you bugles blow. |
By Walt Whitman (1819 � 1892)
Listed May 26, 2012 |
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