"As by the shore at break of day." Thomas Moore (1779-1852). II. Freedom. Bliss Carman, et al., eds. 1904. The World's Best Poetry. VIII. National Spirit

Bliss Carman, et al., eds. The World’s Best Poetry.
Volume VIII. National Spirit. 1904.

II. Freedom

“As by the shore at break of day”

Thomas Moore (1779–1852)


AS by the shore, at break of day,
A vanquished chief expiring lay,
Upon the sands, with broken sword,
He traced his farewell to the free;
And there the last unfinished word	5
He dying wrote, was “Liberty!”

At night a sea-bird shrieked the knell
Of him who thus for freedom fell:
The words he wrote, ere evening came,
Were covered by the sounding sea;—	10
So pass away the cause and name
Of him who dies for liberty!