The song of soldiers

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.

by Walter de la Mare (1873-1956) , "The song of soldiers", from Peacock Pie: A Book of Rhymes, published 1913

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]
by Sir Lennox Berkeley (1903-1989) , "The song of the soldiers", published 1948 [medium voice and piano], from Five Songs
by Cecil Armstrong Gibbs (1889-1960) , "A song of soldiers", published 1927. [soprano or tenor, chorus of male voices, a cappella]
by Christian Victor Hely-Hutchinson (1901-1947) , "The song of soldiers", published 1933. [voice and piano]
by Derek Holman , "The song of soldiers", published 1961. [unison voices and piano]
by Paul McIntyre , "The song of soldiers", 1950 [soprano and piano], from Four Poems of Walter de la Mare
by Freda Swain (1902-) , "Song of the soldiers", 1949-50 [baritone and piano ensemble], from From "Peacock Pie"
by William (Southcombe) Lloyd Webber (1914-1982) , "The song of soldiers", published 1963. [unison voices and piano]

Date added to the website: 2008-01-13.

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