The Hesitating Veteran
When I was young and full of faithAnd other fads that youngsters cherishA cry rose as of one that saithWith unction: "Help me or I perish!"'Twas heard in all the land, and menThe sound were each to each repeating.It made my heart beat faster thenThan any heart can now be beating.
For the world is old and the world is gray--Grown prudent and, I guess, more witty.She's cut her wisdom teeth, they say,And doesn't now go in for Pity.Besides, the melancholy cryWas that of one, 'tis now conceded,Whose plight no one beneath the skyFelt half so poignantly as he did.
Moreover, he was black. And yetThat sentimental generationWith an austere compassion setIts face and faith to the occasion.Then there were hate and strife to spare,And various hard knocks a-plenty;And I ('twas more than my true share,I must confess) took five-and-twenty.
That all is over now--the reignOf love and trade stills all dissensions,And the clear heavens arch againAbove a land of peace and pensions.The black chap--at the last we gaveHim everything that he had cried for,Though many white chaps in the grave'Twould puzzle to say what they died for.
I hope he's better off--I trustThat his society and his master'sAre worth the price we paid, and mustContinue paying, in disasters;But sometimes doubts press thronging round('Tis mostly when my hurts are aching)If war for union was a soundAnd profitable undertaking.
'Tis said they mean to take awayThe Negro's vote for he's unlettered.'Tis true he sits in darkness dayAnd night, as formerly, when fettered;But pray observe--howe'er he voteTo whatsoever party turning,He'll be with gentlemen of noteAnd wealth and consequence and learning.With Hales and Morgans on each side,How could a fool through lack of knowledge,Vote wrong? If learning is no guideWhy ought one to have been in college?O Son of Day, O Son of Night!What are your preferences made of?I know not which of you is right,Nor which to be the more afraid of.
The world is old and the world is bad,And creaks and grinds upon its axis;And man's an ape and the gods are mad!--There's nothing sure, not even our taxes.No mortal man can Truth restore,Or say where she is to be sought for.I know what uniform I wore--O, that I knew which side I fought for!
Words in this poem
- saith
- 3d pers. sing. pres. of Say.
- unction n.
- The act of anointing, smearing, or rubbing with an unguent, oil, or ointment, especially for medical purposes, or as a symbol of consecration; as, mercurial unction. [OE. unccioun, uncioun, OF. oncion, onction, F. onction, fr. L. unctio, fr. ungere, unctum, to anoint. See Unguent.]
- witty a.
- Possessed of wit; knowing; wise; skillful; judicious; clever; cunning. [AS. witig, wittig. See Wit, n.]
- plight v. t.
- To weave; to braid; to fold; to plait. [OE. pliten; probably through Old French, fr. LL. plectare, L. plectere. See Plait, Ply.]
- poignantly adv.
- In a poignant manner.
- sentimental a.
- Having, expressing, or containing a sentiment or sentiments; abounding with moral reflections; containing a moral reflection; didactic. [Cf. F. sentimental.]
- strife n.
- The act of striving; earnest endeavor. [OF. estrif. See Strive.]
- aching a.
- That aches; continuously painful. See Ache.
- fettered a.
- Seeming as if fettered, as the feet pf certain animals which bend backward, and appear unfit for walking.
- wealth n.
- Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
- ought p. p.
- Was or were under obligation to pay; owed. [Orig. the preterit of the verb to owe. OE. oughte, aughte, ahte, AS. ahte. sq. root110. See Owe.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Hesitating Veteran 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 Hesitating Veteran, in Shapes of Clay (1903), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #12658, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/bierce-shapes-of-clay/the-hesitating-veteran.html, id L28010.
Form and metre
The Hesitating Veteran is 64 lines in 7 stanzas. The rhyme scheme is ABABCDCD, complete in 5 of its 7 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%).
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
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 ABABCDCD faithA · cherishB · saithA · perishB · menC · repeatingD · thenC · beatingD
- 2 ABABCDCD grayA · wittyB · sayA · pityB · cryC · concededD · skyC · didD
- 3 ABABCDCD yetA · generationB · setA · occasionB · spareC · plentyD · shareC · twentyD
- 4 ABABCDCD reignA · dissensionsB · againA · pensionsB · gaveC · forD · graveC · forD
- 5 ABABCDCD trustA · master'sB · mustA · disastersB · roundC · achingD · soundC · undertakingD
- 6 A-A-BCBCDEDEFGFG awayA · unlettered · dayA · fettered · voteB · turningC · noteB · learningC · sideD · knowledgeE · guideD · collegeE · nightF · ofG · rightF · ofG
- 7 A-A-BBBB badA · axis · madA · taxes · restoreB · forB · woreB · forB
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 tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| When I was young and full of faith | 8 | ········ |
| And other fads that youngsters cherish | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| A cry rose as of one that saith | 8 | ········ |
| With unction: "Help me or I perish!" | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| 'Twas heard in all the land, and men | 8 | ········ |
| The sound were each to each repeating. | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| It made my heart beat faster then | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Than any heart can now be beating. | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| For the world is old and the world is gray-- | 10 | ·········· |
| Grown prudent and, I guess, more witty. | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| She's cut her wisdom teeth, they say, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And doesn't now go in for Pity. | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| Besides, the melancholy cry | 8 | ˘/·/˘·˘· |
| Was that of one, 'tis now conceded, | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| Whose plight no one beneath the sky | 8 | ········ |
| Felt half so poignantly as he did. | 9 | ···/˘˘··· |
| Moreover, he was black. And yet | 8 | ˘/˘····· |
| That sentimental generation | 9 | ··˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| With an austere compassion set | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘· |
| Its face and faith to the occasion. | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| Then there were hate and strife to spare, | 8 | ········ |
| And various hard knocks a-plenty; | 9 | ·/˘˘···/˘ |
| And I ('twas more than my true share, | 8 | ········ |
| I must confess) took five-and-twenty. | 9 | ··˘/···/˘ |
| That all is over now--the reign | 8 | ········ |
| Of love and trade stills all dissensions, | 9 | ······˘/˘ |
| And the clear heavens arch again | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| Above a land of peace and pensions. | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| The black chap--at the last we gave | 8 | ········ |
| Him everything that he had cried for, | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| Though many white chaps in the grave | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| 'Twould puzzle to say what they died for. | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| I hope he's better off--I trust | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| That his society and his master's | 10 | ··˘/˘˘··/˘ |
| Are worth the price we paid, and must | 8 | ········ |
| Continue paying, in disasters; | 9 | ˘/˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| But sometimes doubts press thronging round | 8 | ·/···/˘· |
| ('Tis mostly when my hurts are aching) | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| If war for union was a sound | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And profitable undertaking. | 9 | ·/˘˘˘/˘·˘ |
| 'Tis said they mean to take away | 8 | ······˘/ |
| The Negro's vote for he's unlettered. | 10 | ·/˘······˘ |
| 'Tis true he sits in darkness day | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| And night, as formerly, when fettered; | 10 | ···/˘˘·/˘˘ |
| But pray observe--howe'er he vote | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| To whatsoever party turning, | 9 | ··˘/˘/˘/˘ |
| He'll be with gentlemen of note | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| And wealth and consequence and learning. | 9 | ···/˘˘·/˘ |
| With Hales and Morgans on each side, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| How could a fool through lack of knowledge, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Vote wrong? If learning is no guide | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Why ought one to have been in college? | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| O Son of Day, O Son of Night! | 8 | ········ |
| What are your preferences made of? | 9 | ···/˘˘˘·· |
| I know not which of you is right, | 8 | ········ |
| Nor which to be the more afraid of. | 9 | ······˘/· |
| The world is old and the world is bad, | 9 | ········· |
| And creaks and grinds upon its axis; | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| And man's an ape and the gods are mad!-- | 9 | ········· |
| There's nothing sure, not even our taxes. | 11 | ·/˘··/˘/˘/˘ |
| No mortal man can Truth restore, | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| Or say where she is to be sought for. | 9 | ········· |
| I know what uniform I wore-- | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| O, that I knew which side I fought for! | 9 | ········· |
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