Defeated Yet Triumphant

  They never fail who die
  In a great cause. The block may soak their gore;
  Their heads may sodden in the sun; their limbs
  Be strung to city gates and castle walls;
  But still their spirit walks abroad.
  Though years
  Elapse and others share as dark a doom,
  They but augment the deep and sweeping thoughts
  Which overpower all others and conduct
  The world, at last, to freedom.