Hohenlinden

For other versions of this work, see Hohenlinden.
The Flag Goes By
Poems That Every Child Should Knowedited by Mary E. BurtHohenlinden by Thomas Campbell
My Old Kentucky Home
4617Poems That Every Child Should Know — HohenlindenMary E. BurtThomas Campbell
Hohenlinden.
On Linden, when the sun was low,
All bloodless lay th' untrodden snow;
And dark as winter was the flow
  Of Iser, rolling rapidly.
But Linden saw another sight,
When the drum beat, at dead of night,
Commanding fires of death to light
  The darkness of her scenery.
By torch and trumpet fast array'd
Each horseman drew his battle-blade,
And furious every charger neigh'd
  To join the dreadful revelry.
Then shook the hills with thunder riven,
Then rush'd the steed to battle driven,
And louder than the bolts of Heaven,
  Far flash'd the red artillery.
But redder yet that light shall glow
On Linden's hills of stainèd snow;
And bloodier yet the torrent flow
  Of Iser, rolling rapidly.
'Tis morn, but scarce yon level sun
Can pierce the war-clouds, rolling dun,
Where furious Frank, and fiery Hun,
  Shout in their sulph'rous canopy.
The combat deepens. On, ye brave
Who rush to glory or the grave!
Wave, Munich! all thy banners wave,
  And charge with all thy chivalry!
Few, few shall part, where many meet!
The snow shall be their winding-sheet,
And every turf beneath their feet
  Shall be a soldier's sepulcher.
Thomas Campbell.