64513: The Survivor

<p dir="ltr"> To die with a forlorn hope, but soon to be raised<br> By hags, the spoilers of the field, to elude their claws<br> And stand once more on a well-swept parade-ground,<br> Scarred and bemedalled, sword upright in fist<br> At head of a new undaunted company:<br> Is this joy?---to be doubtless alive again,<br> And the others dead? Will your nostrils gladly savour<br> The fragrance, always new, of a first hedge-rose?<br> Will your ears be charmed by the thrush's melody<br> Sung as though he had himself devised it?<br> And is this joy: after the double suicide<br> (Heart against heart) to be restored entire,<br> To smooth your hair and wash away the life-blood,<br> And presently seek a young and innocent bride,<br> Whispering in the dark: 'for ever and ever'?</p>