On the unstained sward of the gentle slope, <br />Full of valor and nerved by hope, <br />The infantry sways like a coming sea; <br />Why lingers the light artillery? <br />'Action front!' <br /> <br />Whirling the Parrotts like children's toys, <br />The horses strain to the rushing noise; <br />To right and to left, so fast and free, <br />They carry the light artillery. <br />'Drive on!' <br /> <br />The gunner cries with a tug and a jerk, <br />The limbers fly, and we bend to our work; <br />The handspike in, and the implements out- <br />We wait for the word, and it comes with a shout- <br />'Load!' <br /> <br />The foes pour on their billowy line; <br />Can nothing check their bold design? <br />With yells and oaths of fiendish glee, <br />They rush for the light artillery. <br />'Commence firing!' <br /> <br />Hurrah! Hurrah! our bulldogs bark, <br />And the enemy's line is a glorious mark; <br />Hundreds fall like grain on the lea, <br />Mowed down by the light artillery. <br /> <br />'Fire!' and 'Load!' are the only cries, <br />Thundered and rolled to the vaulted skies; <br />Aha! they falter, they halt, they flee <br />From the hail of the light artillery. <br />'Cease firing!' <br /> <br />The battle is over, the victory won, <br />Ere the dew is dried by the rising sun; <br />While the shout bursts out, like a full-voiced sea, <br />'Hurrah for the light artillery! <br />'Hurrah for the light artillery!'<br /><br />Anonymous Americas<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/hurrah-for-the-light-artillery/
