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Books by Whitman

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ADIEU TO A SOLDIER.

1ADIEU, O soldier!

You of the rude campaigning, (which we shared,)

The rapid march, the life of the camp,

The hot contention of opposing fronts—the long
manuver,

Red battles with their slaughter,—the stimulus—the
strong, terrific game,

Spell of all brave and manly hearts—the trains of Time
through you, and like of you, all fill'd,

With war, and war's expression.

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2Adieu, dear comrade!

Your mission is fulfill'd—but I, more warlike,

Myself, and this contentious soul of mine,

Still on our own compaigning bound,

Through untried roads, with ambushes, opponents
lined,

Through many a sharp defeat and many a crisis—often
baffled,

Here marching, ever marching on, a war fight out—
aye here,

To fiercer, weightier battles give expression.

Distributed under a Creative Commons License. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price, editors.