Star of the brave!--whose beam hath shed <br />Such glory o'er the quick and dead <br />Thou radiant and adored deceit! <br />Which millions rush'd in arms to greet, <br />Wild meteor of immortal birth; <br />Why rise in Heaven to set on Earth? <br /> <br />Souls of slain heroes form'd thy rays; <br />Eternity flash'd through thy blaze; <br />The music of thy martial sphere <br />Was fame on high and honour here; <br />And thy light broke on human eyes, <br />Like a volcano of the skies. <br /> <br />Like lava roll'd thy stream of blood, <br />And swept down empires with its flood; <br />Earth rock'd beneath thee to her base, <br />As thou didst lighten through all space; <br />And the shorn Sun grew dim in air, <br />And set while thou wert dwelling there. <br /> <br />Before thee rose, and with thee grew, <br />A rainbow of the loveliest hue <br />Of three bright colours, each divine, <br />And fit for that celestial sign; <br />For Freedom's hand had blended them, <br />Like tints in an immortal gem. <br /> <br />One tint was of the sunbeam's dyes; <br />One, the blue depth of Seraph's eyes; <br />One the pure Spirit's veil of white <br />Had robed in radiance of its light: <br />The three so mingled did beseem <br />The texture of a heavenly dream. <br /> <br />Star of the brave! thy ray is pale, <br />And darkness must again prevail! <br />But, oh thou Rainbow of the free! <br />Our tears and blood must flow for thee. <br />When thy bright promise fades away, <br />Our life is but a load of clay. <br /> <br />And Freedom hallows with her tread <br />The silent cities of the dead; <br />For beautiful in death are they <br />Who proudly fall in her array; <br />And soon, oh Goddess! may we be <br />For evermore with them or thee!<br /><br />George Gordon Byron<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/on-the-star-of-the-legion-of-honour-from-the-french/
