The Battle of Lexington

Now haste thee while the way is clear,

Paul Revere!

Haste, Dawes! but haste thee not, O Sun!

To Lexington.

Then Devens looked and saw the light:

He got him forth into the night,

And watched alone on the river-shore,

And marked the British ferrying o'er.

John Parker! rub thine eyes and yawn:

But one o'clock and yet 'tis Dawn!

Quick, rub thine eyes and draw thy hose:

The Morning comes ere darkness goes,

Have forth and call the yeomen out,

For somewhere, somewhere close about

Full soon a Thing must come to be

Thine honest eyes shall stare to see

Full soon before thy patriot eyes

Freedom from out of a Wound shall rise.

Then haste ye, Prescott and Revere!

Bring all the men of Lincoln here;

Let Chelmsford, Littleton, Carlisle,

Let Acton, Bedford, hither file —

Oh hither file, and plainly see

Out of a wound leap Liberty.

Say, Woodman April! all in green,

Say, Robin April! hast thou seen

In all thy travel round the earth

Ever a morn of calmer birth?

But Morning's eye alone serene

Can gaze across yon village-green

To where the trooping British run

Through Lexington.

Good men in fustian, stand ye still;

The men in red come o'er the hill.

Lay down your arms, damned Rebels! cry

The men in red full haughtily.

But never a grounding gun is heard;

The men in fustian stand unstirred;

Dead calm, save maybe a wise bluebird

Puts in his little heavenly word.

O men in red! if ye but knew

The half as much as bluebirds do,

Now in this little tender calm

Each hand would out, and every palm

With patriot palm strike brotherhood's stroke

Or ere these lines of battle broke.

O men in red! if ye but knew

The least of the all that bluebirds do,

Now in this little godly calm

Yon voice might sing the Future's Psalm—

The Psalm of Love with the brotherly eyes

Who pardons and is very wise—

Yon voice that shouts, high-hoarse with ire,

Fire!

The redcoats fire, the homespuns fall:

The homespuns' anxious voices call,

Brother, art hurt? and Where hit, John?

And, Wipe this blood, and Men, come on,

And Neighbor, do but lift my head,

And Who is wounded? Who is dead?

Seven are killed. My God! my God!

Seven lie dead on the village sod.

Two Harringtons, Parker, Hadley, Brown,

Munroe and Porter,—these are down.

Nay, look! stout Harrington not yet dead!

He crooks his elbow, lifts his head.

He lies at the step of his own house-door;

He crawls and makes a path of gore.

The wife from the window hath seen, and rushed;

He hath reached the step, but the glood hath gushed;

He hath crawled to the step of his own house-door,

But his head hath dropped: he will crawl no more.

Clasp, Wife, and kiss, and lift the head:

Harrington lies at his door-step dead.

But, O ye Six that round him lay

And bloodied up that April day!

As Harrington fell, ye likewise fell—

At the door of the House wherein ye dwell;

As Harrington came, ye likewise came

And died at the door of your House of Fame.

April 19, 1775 The skirmish at Lexington and the fight at Concord closed all political bickering between Great Britain and her colonies and began the War of the Revolution.