'Tis the Dreamer whose dreams come true!
"Ask him his terms and accept them at once.
Quick, ere we anger him, go!
Never before have I flinched from the guns,
But this is a different show.
I'll not fight with the Herald of God.
(I know what his Master can do!)
Open the gate, he must enter in state,
'Tis the Dreamer whose dreams come true!
"I'd not give way for an Emperor,
I'd hold my road for a King—
To the Triple Crown I would not bow down—
But this is a different thing.
I'll not fight with the Powers of Air,
Sentry pass him through!
Drawbridge let fall, 'tis the Lord of us all,
The Dreamer whose dreams come true!"
* * *
Melville laughed in sheer delight to hear Fielder wield poetry on him. The first officer was, as usual, half mocking and half flattering, and always clever.
"We are destined to the back of beyond," Fielder continued, "where there is no possible duty but mail delivery and a lifetime of carrying borderline cargos. But I will follow. We may have a long dull life in front of us, but at least we have a life, and the story will continue. I've always hated short stories, and I've always had a soft spot for a good series."
And it will get you away from that crazy Sylvan ex-girlfriend of yours, thought Melville with a knowing smile. "Daniel, we are headed out to the frontier," he said, leaning forward intently. "The frontier. The wildest, most unknown, exotic part of the galaxy. We will find adventure and glory there!"
"Damn. I was afraid of that."
There, there was that grin again.
After Fielder left, Melville sat in his cabin, looking out the stern windows at the wonder of Flatland spreading out before him and the brilliant, vivid stars strewn above him. He had one hand on his dog, scratching behind its ear, and one hand on the white, Moss-coated bulkhead, faintly in commo with his ship. His monkey and his dog's monkey were in the corner chittering to each other and assiduously hunting down some poor, tormented vermin.
He shook his head in wonder, still thinking about Hans and Broadax. To each his own, he thought. The contented panting of his dog blended into his mind, echoing in perfect harmony with the contentment he felt coming from his ship. To each his own. As for me . . .
I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a gray mist on the sea's face and a gray dawn breaking.
I must down to the sea again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that must not be denied;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.
Poetry References
Chapter 1:
An orphan's curse would drag to hell . . .
"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Chapter 2:
The fighting man shall take from the sun . . .
(and following stanzas)
"Into Battle," Julian Grenfell
I never shall forget the way . . .
"The Modern Traveler," Hilaire Belloc
Chapter 3:
. . . The burning sun no more shall heat . . .
"As Weary Pilgrim," Anne Bradstreet
Chapter 4:
Here dead lie we because we did not chose . . .
"Here Dead Lie We," A.E. Housman
There's a land that is fairer than day . . .
"Sweet By and By," S.F. Bennett and J.P. Webster
High in the wreck I held the cup . . .
"The Deluge," G.K. Chesterton
. . . Kilmeny had been where the cock never crew . . .
"Kilmeny," James Hogg
Read here the moral roundly writ . . .
"Boxing," from "Verses on Games," Rudyard Kipling
We are the Dead. Short days ago . . .
"In Flanders Field," John McCrae
I've lived a life of sturt and strife . . .
"MacPherson's Farewell," Robert Burns
Soft as the voice of an angel . . .
"Whispering Hope," Septimus Winner
Oh yesterday our little troop was ridden through and through . . .
"To-morrow," John Masefield
Chapter 5:
Biding God's pleasure and their chief's command . . .
"The Birkenhead," Sir Henry Yule
But now ye wait at Hell-Mouth Gate and not in Berkely Square . . .
"Tomlinson," Rudyard Kipling
Chapter 6:
Quoth he, "The she-wolf's litter . . ."
"Horatius," Lord Macaulay
And out the red blood spouted . . .
"The Battle of Lake Regillus," Lord Macaulay
I shall not die alone, alone, but kin to all the powers . . .
(and following couplets)
"The Last Hero," G.K. Chesterton
Through teeth, and skull, and helmet . . .
"Horatius," Lord Macaulay
Chapter 7:
A child said What is the grass? . . .
"Song of Myself," Walt Whitman
Too delicate is flesh to be . . .
"The Debt," E.V. Lucas
Was there love once? I have forgotten her . . .
(and following four stanzas)
"Fulfillment," Robert Nichols
For, alas, alas, with me . . .
"To One in Paradise," E.A. Poe
Chapter 8:
Around no fire the soldiers sleep to-night . . .
(and following stanza)
"The Battlefield," Sydney Oswald
When first I saw you in the curious street . . .
"German Prisoners," Joseph Lee
The recipe for "Thrice Cooked Javalina Brains," and the story about "Major" are from the wonderful (and highly recommended) book, The Contented Poacher's Epicurean Odyssey, by Elantu Viovodi, with the author's gracious permission.
Bind her, grind her, burn her with fire . . .
"A Chant of Love for England," Helen Gray Cone
Chapter 9:
Big bugs have little bugs . . .
Originally by Jonathan Swift,
then modified by Ogden Nash and anon.
Burned from the ore's rejected dross . . .
"The Anvil," Laurence Binyon
All that is gold does not glitter . . .
From The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour . . .
From Henry V, Shakespeare
A thousand shapes of death surround us . . .
The Iliad, Book 12, Homer
Chapter 10:
Shall I retreat from him, from clash of combat . . .
The Iliad, Book 18, Homer
She reached our range. Our broadside rang . . .
(and following stanzas)
"On Board the Cumberland" George H. Boker
Then the dead men fouled the scuppers and the wounded filled the chains . . .
"The Ballad of John Silver," John Masefield
No heed he gave to the flying ball . . .
"The Sword-Bearer," George H. Boker
Victory! Victory! . . .
"Boy Brittan," Forceythe Willson
Chapter 11:
He said: "Thou petty people, let me pass . . .
"The Kaiser and Belgium," Stephen Phillips
Efficient, thorough, strong, and brave—his vision is to kill . . .
"The Superman," Robert Grant
Hark, hark, the dogs do bark . . .
"Mother Goose", anon.
All other stanzas are from Service's "The Call"
Chapter 12:
A hundred thousand fighting men . .
.
(and following stanzas)
"The Battle of Liège," Dana Burnet
Three hundred thousand men, but not enough . . .
(and following stanza)
"Verdun," Eden Phillpotts
Chapter 13:
All drawn from "A Consecration," John Masefield
Chapter 14:
All drawn from "Once to Every Man and Nation," James Russell Lowell
Chapter 16:
Was a lady such a lady, cheeks so round and lips so red . . .
"A Toccatta of Galuppi's," Robert Browning
You meaner beauties of the night . . .
"Elizabeth of Bohemia," Sir Henry Wotton
Chapter 17:
True Thomas lay on Huntlie bank . . .
(and following stanzas)
"True Thomas," anon.
Some text has been derived from a poem entitled, "The Warrior and the Lady," by Billy Martin, copyright 2001, with the author's gracious permission.
Chapter 18:
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun . . .
"Sonnet CXXX," Shakespeare
I have been given my charge to keep . . .
"The Fairies' Siege," Rudyard Kipling
I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky . . .
"Sea Fever," John Masefield
THE END
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Two Space War Page 41