Soldiers Immortal

(By Daphne de Waal[1], in ‘Notes on the War,’ Harrow.)

These are not dead, though they have seen Death’s eyes,

And seen them unafraid.  These are not dead,

Although they wear no more the earthly guise,

Although they walk no more beneath the skies,

And their last words are said.

Their lives would be imperiled if they went,

Their honor was imperiled if they stayed!

For every hour in idle pleasure spent

Was one more weapon to the foeman lent,

One onward march delayed.

They took their lives then in both hands, and gave

Gladly, without regretting, without dread;

They faced war, agony—even the grave—

With quiet, making no attempt to save

Life, or the blood they shed.

They, young and honorable, ‘played the game,’

Following calmly where their leaders led.

Those who stay now have lost all sense of shame

If they can hear unmoved the honored name

That these abroad have spread.

They are not dead.  Their memories will tell

Throughout all time, wherever men shall tread,

That bravery finds fear intolerable—

That they live on for ever who die well!

These died, yet are not dead.

            The Cape, South Africa

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[1] Daphne de Waal was apparently a South African poet, but history has left little information about her.  In 1917 she published a 63-page collection titled Soldiers Immortal and Other Poems in South Africa.  This helps us with the timeline of Clare’s book; she must be at least 15 at this point.