StoryTitle("caps", "An Incident of the French Camp") ?>
Incident of the French Camp," by Robert Browning (1812-89), is included
in this volume out of regard to a boy of eight years who did not care for
many poems, but this one stirred his heart to its depths.
PoemStart() ?>
PoemLine("L0", "", "You know, we French storm'd Ratisbon:", "") ?>
PoemLine("L2", "", "A mile or so away", "") ?>
PoemLine("L0", "", "On a little mound, Napoleon", "") ?>
PoemLine("L2", "", "Stood on our storming-day;", "") ?>
PoemLine("L0", "", "With neck out-thrust, you fancy how,", "") ?>
PoemLine("L2", "", "Legs wide, arms lock'd behind,", "") ?>
PoemLine("L0", "", "As if to balance the prone brow", "") ?>
PoemLine("L2", "", "Oppressive with its mind.", "") ?>
PoemLine("L0", "", "Just as perhaps he mus'd \"My plans", "") ?>
PoemLine("L2", "", "That soar, to earth may fall,", "") ?>
PoemLine("L0", "", "Let once my army leader Lannes", "") ?>
PoemLine("L2", "", "Waver at yonder wall,\"—", "") ?>
PoemLine("L0", "", "Out 'twixt the battery smokes there flew", "") ?>
PoemLine("L2", "", "A rider, bound on bound", "") ?>
PoemLine("L0", "", "Full-galloping; nor bridle drew", "") ?>
PoemLine("L2", "", "Until he reach'd the mound.", "") ?>
PoemLine("L0", "", "Then off there flung in smiling joy,", "") ?>
PoemLine("L2", "", "And held himself erect", "") ?>
PoemLine("L0", "", "By just his horse's mane, a boy:", "") ?>
PoemLine("L2", "", "You hardly could suspect—", "") ?>
PoemLine("L0", "", "(So tight he kept his lips compress'd,", "") ?>
PoemLine("L2", "", "Scarce any blood came through)", "") ?>
PoemLine("L0", "", "You look'd twice ere you saw his breast", "") ?>
PoemLine("L2", "", "Was all but shot in two.", "") ?>
PagePoem(44, "L0", "") ?>
PoemLine("L0DQ", "", "\"Well,\" cried he, \"Emperor, by God's grace", "") ?>
PoemLine("L2", "", "We've got you Ratisbon!", "") ?>
PoemLine("L0", "", "The Marshal's in the market-place,", "") ?>
PoemLine("L2", "", "And you'll be there anon", "") ?>
PoemLine("L0", "", "To see your flag-bird flap his vans", "") ?>
PoemLine("L2", "", "Where I, to heart's desire,", "") ?>
PoemLine("L0", "", "Perched him!\" The chief's eye flashed; his plans", "") ?>
PoemLine("L2", "", "Soared up again like fire.", "") ?>
PoemLine("L0", "", "The chief's eye flashed; but presently", "") ?>
PoemLine("L2", "", "Softened itself, as sheathes", "") ?>
PoemLine("L0", "", "A film the mother-eagle's eye", "") ?>
PoemLine("L2", "", "When her bruised eaglet breathes;", "") ?>
PoemLine("L0DQ", "", "\"You're wounded!\" \"Nay,\" the soldier's pride", "") ?>
PoemLine("L2", "", "Touched to the quick, he said:", "") ?>
PoemLine("L0DQ", "", "\"I'm killed, Sire!\" And his chief beside,", "") ?>
PoemLine("L2", "", "Smiling the boy fell dead.", "") ?>
PoemAttribution("100", SmallCapsText("Robert Browning.")) ?>
PoemEnd() ?>