[215]
Twin ‘rebels’ side by side—
And confronting such a vision
All our grief gives place to pride.
These two shall ride immortal
And shall ride abreast of Time;
Shall light up stately history
And blaze in Epic Rhyme—
Both patriots, both Virginians true,
Both ‘rebels,’ both sublime.
Our past is full of glory,
It is a shut — in sea,
The Pillars overlooking it
Are Washington and Lee:—
And a future spreads before us
Not unworthy of the free.
And here and now, my Countrymen,
Upon this sacred sod,
Let us feel: it was “our father
Who above us held the rod,
And from hills to sea,
Like Robert Lee,
Bow reverently to God.
Twin ‘rebels’ side by side—
And confronting such a vision
All our grief gives place to pride.
These two shall ride immortal
And shall ride abreast of Time;
Shall light up stately history
And blaze in Epic Rhyme—
Both patriots, both Virginians true,
Both ‘rebels,’ both sublime.
Our past is full of glory,
It is a shut — in sea,
The Pillars overlooking it
Are Washington and Lee:—
And a future spreads before us
Not unworthy of the free.
And here and now, my Countrymen,
Upon this sacred sod,
Let us feel: it was “our father
Who above us held the rod,
And from hills to sea,
Like Robert Lee,
Bow reverently to God.
Captain McCabe's recitation of the poem was frequently interrupted with applause.
