A Song to Mithras / Rudyard Kipling
George Dance
/Hymn of the XXX Legion: circa A.D. 350/
Mithras, God of the Morning, our trumpets waken the Wall!
‘Rome is above the Nations, but Thou art over all!’
Now as the names are answered, and the guards are marched away,
Mithras, also a soldier, give us strength for the day!
Mithras, God of the Noontide, the heather swims in the heat.
Our helmets scorch our foreheads, our sandals burn our feet.
Now in the ungirt hour—now lest we blink and drowse,
Mithras, also a soldier, keep us true to our vows!
Mithras, God of the Sunset, low on the Western main—
Thou descending immortal, immortal to rise again!
Now when the watch is ended, now when the wine is drawn,
Mithras, also a soldier, keep us pure till the dawn!
Mithras, God of the Midnight, here where the great Bull dies,
Look on thy children in darkness. Oh, take our sacrifice!
Many roads thou hast fashioned—all of them lead to the Light!
Mithras, also a soldier, teach us to die aright!
---
Rudyard Kipling
from "On the Great Wall," /Puck of Pook's Hill/, 1906.
Will Dockery
"George Dance" <george...@yahoo.ca> wrote in message
news:24fcb358-39b5-4691...@h11g2000yqb.googlegroups.com...
A Song to Mithras
/Hymn of the XXX Legion: circa A.D. 350/
Mithras, God of the Morning, our trumpets waken the Wall!
�Rome is above the Nations, but Thou art over all!�
Now as the names are answered, and the guards are marched away,
Mithras, also a soldier, give us strength for the day!
Mithras, God of the Noontide, the heather swims in the heat.
Our helmets scorch our foreheads, our sandals burn our feet.
Now in the ungirt hour�now lest we blink and drowse,
Mithras, also a soldier, keep us true to our vows!
Mithras, God of the Sunset, low on the Western main�
Thou descending immortal, immortal to rise again!
Now when the watch is ended, now when the wine is drawn,
Mithras, also a soldier, keep us pure till the dawn!
Mithras, God of the Midnight, here where the great Bull dies,
Look on thy children in darkness. Oh, take our sacrifice!
Many roads thou hast fashioned�all of them lead to the Light!
Mithras, also a soldier, teach us to die aright!
---
Rudyard Kipling
from "On the Great Wall," /Puck of Pook's Hill/, 1906.
Cleaning up my newreader and found this old one... nice find.
--
"She Sleeps Tight" by Will Dockery & Brian Mallard (video):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uGY157cpiU
George Dance
> "George Dance" <georgedanc...@yahoo.ca> wrote in message
>
> news:24fcb358-39b5-4691...@h11g2000yqb.googlegroups.com...
> A Song to Mithras
>
> /Hymn of the XXX Legion: circa A.D. 350/
>
> Mithras, God of the Morning, our trumpets waken the Wall!
> Now as the names are answered, and the guards are marched away,
> Mithras, also a soldier, give us strength for the day!
>
> Mithras, God of the Noontide, the heather swims in the heat.
> Our helmets scorch our foreheads, our sandals burn our feet.
> Mithras, also a soldier, keep us true to our vows!
>
> Thou descending immortal, immortal to rise again!
> Now when the watch is ended, now when the wine is drawn,
> Mithras, also a soldier, keep us pure till the dawn!
>
> Mithras, God of the Midnight, here where the great Bull dies,
> Look on thy children in darkness. Oh, take our sacrifice!
> Mithras, also a soldier, teach us to die aright!
>
> ---
> Rudyard Kipling
> from "On the Great Wall," /Puck of Pook's Hill/, 1906.
>
> Cleaning up my newreader and found this old one... nice find.
>
> --
> "She Sleeps Tight" by Will Dockery & Brian Mallard (video):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uGY157cpiU
Yes, it is, isn't it. Kipling's usually trashed nowadays, but he was a
great writer of verse; and IMO that's his best poem.
By coincidence, yesterday in my reading I found another Kipling verse
-- IIRC, "When 'Omer Smote 'is Bloody Lyre" -- which isn't great
poetry at all, just silly verse, but is relevant to the discussion
that's come up again about borrowing vs. originality. I think I'll
look for an on-line version and post it.
Will Dockery
I'll have a look, I see you did find a version.
--
"She Sleeps Tight" - words by Will Dockery, music by Brian Mallard:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uGY157cpiU