34 THE FLAG

Here comes The Flag!

Hail it!

Who dares to drag

Or trail it?

Give it hurrahs —

Three for the stars,

Three for the bars.

Uncover your head to it!

The soldiers who tread to it

Shout at the sight of it,

The justice and right of it,

The unsullied white of it,

The blue and red of it,

And tyranny’s dread of it!

Here comes The Flag!

Cheer it!

Valley and crag

Shall hear it.

Fathers shall bless it;

Children caress it;

All shall maintain it;

No one shall stain it.

Cheers for the sailors that fought on the wave for it!

Cheers for the soldiers that always were brave for it!

Tears for the men that went down to the grave for it!

Here comes The Flag.

( Arthur Macy )

Biography

Arthur Macy (1842-1904) was born at Nantucket, Massachusetts. He served in the Civil War, was wounded at Gettysburg three times, and was there taken prisoner. As a soldier he learned what it means to march with the flag. It is not surprising, therefore, that his poem, “The Flag,” is full of stirring patriotism.

Word list

unsullied : clean, not made dirty

crag : a mountain peak

You Practice

Answer the following questions.

1) What feeling does this poem express?

2) Who do tyrants dread the flag

3) What picture does the poem suggest?

4) Why is this poem easy to read?

5) What can we learn from this poem?