Epitaph On An Army of Mercenaries

A. E. HousmanA. E. Housman

1 min read · 12.4K reads

These, in the day when heaven was falling,
The hour when earth's foundations fled,
Followed their mercenary calling
And took their wages and are dead.Their shoulders held the sky suspended;
They stood, and earth's foundations stay;
What God abandoned, these defended,
And saved the sum of things for pay.
Join Our WhatsApp Community
A. E. Housman
About the poet

A. E. Housman

1859 - 1936/EnglishAlfred Edward Housman, usually known as A. E. Housman, was an English classical scholar and poet, best known for his cycle of poems A Shropshire Lad. Lyrical and almost epigrammatic in form, the poems were mostly written before 1900. Their…

View profile & all 50 Poems / Stories

More from A. E. Housman

  1. Here Dead We Lie

    Here dead we lieBecause we did not choose

    12.4K reads

  2. Diffugere Nives (Horace, Odes 4.7)

    The snows are fled away, leaves on the shawsAnd grasses in the mead renew their birth,

    12.4K reads

  3. The Grizzly Bear

    The Grizzly Bear is huge and wildIt has devoured the little child.

    12.5K reads

  4. It Is No Gift I Tender

    It is no gift I tender,A loan is all I can;

    12.5K reads

  5. The Chestnut Casts His Flambeaux

    The chestnut casts his flambeaux, and the flowersStream from the hawthorn on the wind away,

    12.5K reads

Poets You May Like

See all

More Poetry & Stories You May Like

उसने मिट्टी को छुआ भर था - प्रताप सोमवंशीपसोपेश में हूँकि कविता चिह्नों में होती है— प्रताप सोमवंशीदर्द औरों का हम - प्रताप सोमवंशीपसोपेश में हूँकि कविता चिह्नों में होती है— प्रताप सोमवंशी