Dead Poets Daily

Share this post

Old Ironsides

www.deadpoetsdaily.com

Discover more from Dead Poets Daily

No commentary, no ads, just poems from the greats.
Continue reading
Sign in

Old Ironsides

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Aug 15, 2022
Share
Ay, tear her tattered ensign down
Long has it waved on high,
And many an eye has danced to see
That banner in the sky;
Beneath it rung the battle shout,
And burst the cannon’s roar;—
The meteor of the ocean air
Shall sweep the clouds no more.

Her deck, once red with heroes’ blood,
Where knelt the vanquished foe,
When winds were hurrying o’er the flood,
And waves were white below,
No more shall feel the victor’s tread,
Or know the conquered knee;—
The harpies of the shore shall pluck
The eagle of the sea!

Oh better that her shattered hulk
Should sink beneath the wave;
Her thunders shook the mighty deep,
And there should be her grave;
Nail to the mast her holy flag,
Set every threadbare sail,
And give her to the god of storms,
The lightning and the gale!
 
 
Share
Previous
Next
Top
New

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2023 Dead Poets Daily
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing