As I sat musing by the frozen dyke, There was a man marching with a bright steel pike, Marching in the dayshine like a ghost came he, And behind me was the moaning and the murmur of the sea. As I sat musing, 'twas not one but ten --- Rank on rank of ghostly soldiers marching o'er the fen, Marching in the misty air they showed in dreams to me, And behind me was the shouting and the shattering of the sea. As I sat musing, 'twas a host in dark array, With their horses and their cannon wheeling onward to the fray, Moving like a shadow to the fate the brave must dree, And behind me roared the drums, rang the trumpets of the sea.
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Confirmed with Peacock Pie. A Book of Rhymes by Walter de la Mare, London: Constable & Co. Ltd., [1920], page 168.
Text Authorship:
- by Walter De la Mare (1873 - 1956), "The song of soldiers", appears in Peacock Pie: A Book of Rhymes, in 8. Songs, no. 2, first published 1913 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Frederic Austin (1872 - 1952), "A song of soldiers", published 1924 [ voice, unaccompanied ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Lennox Randal Francis Berkeley, Sir (1903 - 1989), "The song of the soldiers", published 1948 [ medium voice and piano ], from Five Songs [sung text not yet checked]
- by Lennox Randal Francis Berkeley, Sir (1903 - 1989), "The song of soldiers", op. 26 no. 4 (1946), published 1948 [ medium voice and piano ], from Five Songs, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Cecil Armstrong Gibbs (1889 - 1960), "A song of soldiers", published 1927 [ soprano or tenor, chorus of male voices, a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Christian Victor Hely-Hutchinson (1901 - 1947), "The song of soldiers", published 1933 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Derek Holman (b. 1931), "The song of soldiers", published 1961 [ unison chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul McIntyre , "The song of soldiers", 1950 [ soprano and piano ], from Four Poems of Walter de la Mare [sung text not yet checked]
- by Freda Mary Swain (1902 - 1985), "Song of the soldiers", 1949-50 [ baritone and piano ensemble ], from From "Peacock Pie" [sung text not yet checked]
- by William (Southcombe) Lloyd Webber (1914 - 1982), "The song of soldiers", published 1963 [ unison chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-01-13
Line count: 12
Word count: 125