The Souls of the Slain-Richard Burton

[ti:The Souls of the Slain] [ar:Richard Burton] [al:The Richard Burton Poetry Collection] [by:] [offset:0] [00:00.00]The Souls of the Slain - Richard Burton [00:01.06]The thick lids of Night closed upon me [00:03.68]Alone at the Bill [00:05.34]Of the Isle by the Race [00:06.89] [00:07.49]Many caverned bald wrinkled of face [00:10.67] [00:11.24]And with darkness and silence the spirit was on me [00:14.53] [00:15.20]To brood and be still [00:16.96] [00:18.71]No wind fanned the flats of the ocean [00:22.20]Or promontory sides [00:24.11]Or the ooze by the strand [00:26.17]Or the bent bearded slope of the land [00:29.15]Whose base took it's rest amid everlong motion [00:32.29] [00:32.90]Of criss crossing tides [00:34.83] [00:36.12]Soon from out of the Southward seemed nearing [00:38.33]A whirr as of wings [00:40.45]Waved by mighty vanned flies [00:42.49]Or by night moths of measureless size [00:45.45]And in softness and smoothness well nigh beyond hearing [00:49.52] [00:50.30]Of corporal things [00:51.89] [00:54.41]And they bore to the bluff and alighted [00:56.71] [00:57.24]A dim discerned train [00:58.90]Of sprites without mould [01:00.84]Frameless souls none might touch or might hold [01:03.50]On the ledge by the turreted lantern farsighted [01:06.79]By men of the main [01:08.02] [01:09.04]And I heard them say [01:10.39]Home and I knew them [01:13.30]For souls of the felled [01:14.56]On the earth's nether bord [01:16.14]Under Capricorn whither they'd warred [01:18.16]And I neared in my awe [01:20.86]And gave heedfulness to them [01:23.04]With breathings inheld [01:24.72] [01:26.20]Then it seemed [01:26.82]There approached from the northward [01:27.80]A senior soul flame [01:29.77]Of the like filmy hue [01:31.46] [01:32.01]And he met them and spake [01:33.95]Is it you [01:34.96]O my men [01:36.09]Said they [01:36.72]Aye We bear homeward and hearthward [01:39.54]To list to our fame [01:41.05] [01:42.69]I've flown there before you he said then [01:45.44]Your households are well [01:46.87]But your kin linger less [01:50.49]On your glory arid war mightiness [01:52.58]Than on dearer things [01:54.52] [01:55.24]Dearer cried these from the dead then [01:57.44]Of what do they tell [01:58.76] [02:00.47]Some mothers muse sadly and murmur [02:02.32]Your doings as boys [02:04.15] [02:04.72]Recall the quaint ways [02:06.00]Of your babyhood's innocent days [02:08.44]Some pray that ere dying [02:10.79]Your faith had grown firmer [02:12.83] [02:13.55]And higher your joys [02:15.54] [02:16.84]A father broods Would I had set him [02:19.05]To some humble trade [02:20.80]And so slacked his high fire [02:22.55]And his passionate martial desire [02:24.95]Had told him no stories to woo him and whet him [02:27.76]To this due crusade [02:29.34] [02:31.14]And General how hold out our sweethearts [02:33.22]Sworn loyal as doves [02:34.95] [02:36.02]Many mourn; many think [02:37.58]It is not unattractive to prink [02:39.27]Them in sables for heroes [02:41.15] [02:42.54]Some fickle and fleet hearts [02:44.49]Have found them new loves [02:46.61] [02:47.76]And our wives quoth another resignedly [02:50.64]Dwell they on our deeds [02:52.15] [02:53.30]Deeds of home; that live yet [02:55.46]Fresh as new deeds of fondness or fret [02:58.15]Ancient words that were kindly expressed or unkindly [03:01.71] [03:02.33]These these have their heeds [03:05.36] [03:06.87]Alas then it seems that our glory [03:08.69]Weighs less in their thought [03:09.94]Than our old homely acts [03:11.19]And the long ago commonplace facts [03:13.09]Of our lives held by us as scarce part of our story [03:16.29]And rated as nought [03:17.58] [03:19.03]Then bitterly some [03:20.22] [03:20.73]Was it wise now [03:21.50]To raise the tomb door [03:22.64]For such knowledge Away [03:24.77] [03:25.57]But the rest [03:26.32] [03:26.84]Fame we prized till today [03:28.95]Yet that hearts keep us green for [03:30.76]Old kindness we prize now [03:32.87]A thousand times more [03:34.53] [03:35.90]Thus speaking the trooped apparitions [03:37.53]Began to disband [03:38.84]And resolve them in two [03:40.44]Those whose record was lovely and true [03:42.09]Bore to northward for home [03:43.56]Those of bitter traditions [03:45.07]Again left the land [03:46.74]And towering to seaward in legions [03:48.67]They paused at a spot [03:49.97]Overbending the Race [03:51.24]That engulphing ghast sinister place [03:53.86]Whither headlong they plunged [03:55.34]To the fathomless regions [03:57.01]Of myriads forgot [03:58.61]And the spirits of those who were homing [04:00.54]Passed on rushingly [04:02.04]Like the Pentecost Wind [04:04.09] [04:04.96]And the whirr of their wayfaring thinned [04:08.25]And surceased on the sky [04:10.41] [04:11.27]And but left in the gloaming [04:13.30] [04:14.28]Sea mutterings and me