I SAW old General at bay;
(Old as he was, his grey eyes yet shone out in battle like stars;)
His small force was now completely hemm’d in, in his works;
He call’d for volunteers to run the enemy’s lines-a desperate emergency;
I saw a hundred and more step forth from the ranks-but two or three were selected;
I saw them receive their orders aside-they listen’d with care-the adjutant
was
very
grave;
I saw them depart with cheerfulness, freely risking their lives.
(Walt Whitman)
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Based on Topics: War & Peace Poems, Joy & Excitement Poems, Work & Career Poems, Enemy PoemsBased on Keywords: volunteers, emergency, hemm, adjutant, aside-they, care-the