1 NOT in the thick of the fight, Not in the press of the odds, Do the heroes come to their height, Or we know the demi-gods. 2 That stands over till peace. We can only perceive Men returned from the seas, Very grateful for leave. 3 They grant us sudden days Snatched from their business of war; But we are too close to appraise What manner of men they are. 4 And, whether their names go down With age-kept victories, Or whether they battle and drown Unreckoned, is hid from our eyes. 5 They are too near to be great, But our children shall understand When and how our fate Was changed, and by whose hand. 6 Our children shall measure their worth. We are content to be blind . . . But we know that we walk on a new-born earth With the saviours of mankind.
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