The Conquered Banner
By Abram Joseph Ryan (1838-1886) |
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Furl that Banner,
for 'tis weary;
Round its staff 'tis drooping dreary;
Furl it, fold it, it is best;
For there's not a man to
wave it,
And there's not a sword to save it,
And
there's no one left to lave it
In the blood that heroes
gave it;
And its foes now scorn and brave it;
Furl it,
hide it--let it rest!
Take that banner down! 'tis
tattered;
Broken is its shaft and shattered;
And the
valiant hosts are scattered
Over whom it floated high.
Oh! 'tis hard for us to fold it;
Hard to think there's
none to hold it;
Hard that those who once unrolled it
Now must furl it with a sigh.
Furl that banner! furl
it sadly!
Once ten thousands hailed it gladly.
And ten
thousands wildly, madly,
Swore it should forever wave;
Swore that foeman's sword should never
Hearts like theirs
entwined dissever,
Till that flag should float forever
O'er their freedom or their grave!
Furl it! for the
hands that grasped it,
And the hearts that fondly clasped
it,
Cold and dead are lying low;
And that Banner--it
is trailing!
While around it sounds the wailing
Of its
people in their woe.
For, though conquered, they
adore it!
Love the cold, dead hands that bore it!
Weep
for those who fell before it!
Pardon those who trailed
and tore it!
But, oh! wildly they deplored it!
Now who
furl and fold it so.
Furl that Banner! True, 'tis
gory,
Yet 'tis wreathed around with glory,
And 'twill
live in song and story,
Though its folds are in the dust;
For its fame on brightest pages,
Penned by poets and by
sages,
Shall go sounding down the ages--
Furl its
folds though now we must.
Furl that banner, softly,
slowly!
Treat it gently--it is holy--
For it droops
above the dead.
Touch it not--unfold it never,
Let it
droop there, furled forever,
For its people's hopes are
dead. |
By
Abram Joseph Ryan (1838-1886)
Listed March 6, 2013 |
Note:
Abram Joseph Ryan, a Roman Catholic
priest, wrote this poem in 1865 after Gen. Lee
surrendered to Gen. Grant ending the American Civil War.
It was his thought that however noble he and others felt
the Confederate cause had been, the defeat was final,
and the Confederate idea should be put away forever,
along with its flag.
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