And they who fly in terror deem And hear the tramp of thousands Then sweet the hour that brings release From danger and from toil: We talk the battle over, And share the battle's spoil. The woodland rings with laugh and shout, As if a hunt were up, And woodland flowers are gathered To crown the soldier's cup. With merry songs we mock the wind And slumber long and sweetly On beds of oaken leaves. Well knows the fair and friendly moon The band that Marion leads The glitter of their rifles, The scampering of their steeds. Back to the pathless forest, Before the peep of day. Grave men there are by broad Santee, For them we wear these trusty arms, And lay them down no more Till we have driven the Briton, Forever, from our shore. glades, open spaces; mo rass', swamp; deem, think; barb, war horse; Santee, a river in South Carolina; hoar'y, white. 2. Who was Marion? 1. Who is the speaker? Why did the British soldier tremble at mention of his name? Find some reasons for it in the poem. 3. Explain the fifth and sixth lines of the first stanza. 4. Why is it well for them that they know the forest "as seamen know the sea"? Find the answer in the poem. 5. Read the lines that tell us something about Marion's methods of attacking the enemy. 6. What kind of scene does the third stanza call to mind? Contrast this with the scene of the second. 7. Why is the moon called friendly? 8. Find the Santee River on your maps. 9. Why are the arms called trusty? Nouns. Make a list of all the nouns in the first stanza. 5 10 5 10 15 20 72 PAUL REVERE'S RIDE LISTEN, my children, and you shall hear On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five; Who remembers that famous day and year. Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch Of the North Church tower as a signal light, - And I on the opposite shore will be, Ready to ride and spread the alarm Through every Middlesex village and farm, Then he said, "Good night!" and with muffled oar Just as the moon rose over the bay, Where swinging wide at her moorings lay A phantom ship, with each mast and spar Meanwhile, his friend, through alley and street, Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church, By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread, To the belfry chamber overhead, And startled the pigeons from their perch 5 10 15 20 25 On the somber rafters, that round him made Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead, And seeming to whisper, "All is well!" A moment only he feels the spell Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread Of the lonely belfry and the dead; For suddenly all his thoughts are bent Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride, |