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Leaves of Grass (1891-92)
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CAMPS OF GREEN.
NOT alone those camps of white, old comrades of the wars, |
When as order'd forward, after a long march, |
Footsore and weary, soon as the light lessens we halt for the night, |
Some of us so fatigued carrying the gun and knapsack, dropping
asleep in our tracks,
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Others pitching the little tents, and the fires lit up begin to
sparkle,
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Outposts of pickets posted surrounding alert through the dark, |
And a word provided for countersign, careful for safety, |
Till to the call of the drummers at daybreak loudly beating the
drums,
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We rise up refresh'd, the night and sleep pass'd over, and resume
our journey,
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Lo, the camps of the tents of green, |
Which the days of peace keep filling, and the days of war keep
filling,
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With a mystic army, (is it too order'd forward? is it too only halt
ing awhile,
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Till night and sleep pass over?) |
Now in those camps of green, in their tents dotting the world, |
In the parents, children, husbands, wives, in them, in the old and
young,
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Sleeping under the sunlight, sleeping under the moonlight, content
and silent there at last,
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Behold the mighty bivouac-field and waiting-camp of all, |
Of the corps and generals all, and the President over the corps
and generals all,
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And of each of us O soldiers, and of each and all in the ranks we
fought,
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(There without hatred we all, all meet.) |
For presently O soldiers, we too camp in our place in the bivouac-
camps of green,
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But we need not provide for outposts, nor word for the counter-
sign,
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Nor drummer to beat the morning drum. |
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