The Confederate Flags
Tut-tut! give back the flags--how can you careYou veterans and heroes?Why should you at a kind intention swearLike twenty Neroes?
Suppose the act was not so overwise--Suppose it was illegal--Is 't well on such a question to ariseAnd pinch the Eagle?
Nay, let's economize his breath to scoldAnd terrify the alienWho tackles him, as Hercules of oldThe bird Stymphalian.
Among the rebels when we made a breachWas it to get their banners?That was but incidental--'t was to teachThem better manners.
They know the lesson well enough to-day;Now, let us try to show themThat we 're not only stronger far than they.(How we did mow them!)
But more magnanimous. You see, my lads,'T was an uncommon riot;The warlike tribes of Europe fight for "fads,"We fought for quiet.
If we were victors, then we all must liveWith the same flag above us;'Twas all in vain unless we now forgiveAnd make them love us.
Let kings keep trophies to display aboveTheir doors like any savage;The freeman's trophy is the foeman's love,Despite war's ravage.
"Make treason odious?" My friends, you'll findYou can't, in right and reason,While "Washington" and "treason" are combined--"Hugo" and "treason."
All human governments must take the chanceAnd hazard of sedition.O, wretch! to pledge your manhood in advanceTo blind submission.
It may be wrong, it may be right, to riseIn warlike insurrection:The loyalty that fools so dearly prizeMay mean subjection.
Be loyal to your country, yes--but howIf tyrants hold dominion?The South believed they did; can't you allowFor that opinion?
He who will never rise though rulers plodsHis liberties despisingHow is he manlier than the sans culottesWho's always rising?
Give back the foolish flags whose bearers fellToo valiant to forsake them.Is it presumptuous, this counsel? Well,I helped to take them.
Words in this poem
- overwise a.
- Too wise; affectedly wise.
- terrify v. t.
- To make terrible. [L. terrere to frighten + -fy: cf. F. terrifier, L. terrificare. See Terrific, and -fy.]
- trophy n.
- A sign or memorial of a victory raised on the field of battle, or, in case of a naval victory, on the nearest land. Sometimes trophies were erected in the chief city of the conquered people. [F. trophée (cf. It. & Sp. trofeo), L. tropaeum, trophaeum, Gr. Trope.]
- sans prep.
- Without; deprived or destitute of. Rarely used as an English word. [F., from L. sine without.]
- valiant a.
- Vigorous in body; strong; powerful; as, a valiant fencer. [OE. valiant, F. vaillant, OF. vaillant, valant, originally p. pr. of OF. & F. valoir to be worth, L. valere to be strong. See Wield, and cf. Avail, Convalesce, ]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Confederate Flags is in the public domain. This text is taken from Shapes of Clay (1903), Project Gutenberg ebook #12658; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Ambrose Bierce, The Confederate Flags, in Shapes of Clay (1903), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #12658, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/bierce-shapes-of-clay/the-confederate-flags.html, id L28204.
Form and metre
The Confederate Flags is 56 lines in 14 stanzas of 4 lines each. Every stanza rhymes ABAB. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%).
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 ABAB careA · heroesB · swearA · neroesB
- 2 ABAB overwiseA · illegalB · ariseA · eagleB
- 3 ABAB scoldA · alienB · oldA · stymphalianB
- 4 ABAB breachA · bannersB · teachA · mannersB
- 5 ABAB dayA · themB · theyA · themB
- 6 ABAB ladsA · riotB · fadsA · quietB
- 7 ABAB liveA · usB · forgiveA · usB
- 8 ABAB aboveA · savageB · loveA · ravageB
- 9 ABAB findA · reasonB · combinedA · treasonB
- 10 ABAB chanceA · seditionB · advanceA · submissionB
- 11 ABAB riseA · insurrectionB · prizeA · subjectionB
- 12 ABAB howA · dominionB · allowA · opinionB
- 13 ABAB plodsA · despisingB · culottesA · risingB
- 14 ABAB fellA · themB · wellA · themB
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Tut-tut! give back the flags--how can you care | 10 | ·········· |
| You veterans and heroes? | 7 | ·/˘˘·/˘ |
| Why should you at a kind intention swear | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Like twenty Neroes? | 5 | ·/˘/˘ |
| Suppose the act was not so overwise-- | 10 | ˘/·····/˘˘ |
| Suppose it was illegal-- | 7 | ˘/··˘/˘ |
| Is 't well on such a question to arise | 11 | ······/˘·˘/ |
| And pinch the Eagle? | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Nay, let's economize his breath to scold | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| And terrify the alien | 8 | ·/˘··/˘˘ |
| Who tackles him, as Hercules of old | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| The bird Stymphalian. | 5 | ····· |
| Among the rebels when we made a breach | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Was it to get their banners? | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| That was but incidental--'t was to teach | 11 | ····˘/˘···· |
| Them better manners. | 5 | ·/˘/˘ |
| They know the lesson well enough to-day; | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| Now, let us try to show them | 7 | ······· |
| That we 're not only stronger far than they. | 11 | ····/˘/˘··· |
| (How we did mow them!) | 5 | ····· |
| But more magnanimous. You see, my lads, | 10 | ··˘/˘˘···· |
| 'T was an uncommon riot; | 8 | ···˘/˘/˘ |
| The warlike tribes of Europe fight for "fads," | 10 | ·/···/˘··· |
| We fought for quiet. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| If we were victors, then we all must live | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| With the same flag above us; | 7 | ······· |
| 'Twas all in vain unless we now forgive | 10 | ········˘/ |
| And make them love us. | 5 | ····· |
| Let kings keep trophies to display above | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| Their doors like any savage; | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| The freeman's trophy is the foeman's love, | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| Despite war's ravage. | 5 | ˘/·/˘ |
| "Make treason odious?" My friends, you'll find | 10 | ·/˘/˘˘···· |
| You can't, in right and reason, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| While "Washington" and "treason" are combined-- | 10 | ·/˘˘·/˘·˘/ |
| "Hugo" and "treason." | 5 | /˘·/˘ |
| All human governments must take the chance | 10 | ·/˘/˘˘···· |
| And hazard of sedition. | 7 | ·/˘·˘/˘ |
| O, wretch! to pledge your manhood in advance | 10 | ·····/··˘/ |
| To blind submission. | 5 | ··˘/˘ |
| It may be wrong, it may be right, to rise | 10 | ·········· |
| In warlike insurrection: | 7 | ·/··˘/˘ |
| The loyalty that fools so dearly prize | 10 | ·/˘˘···/˘· |
| May mean subjection. | 5 | ··˘/˘ |
| Be loyal to your country, yes--but how | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| If tyrants hold dominion? | 7 | ·/˘·˘/˘ |
| The South believed they did; can't you allow | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| For that opinion? | 5 | ··˘/˘ |
| He who will never rise though rulers plods | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| His liberties despising | 7 | ·/˘˘˘/˘ |
| How is he manlier than the sans culottes | 10 | ·········· |
| Who's always rising? | 5 | ·/·/˘ |
| Give back the foolish flags whose bearers fell | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Too valiant to forsake them. | 7 | ·/˘·˘/· |
| Is it presumptuous, this counsel? Well, | 10 | ··˘/˘˘·/˘· |
| I helped to take them. | 5 | ····· |
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