In memory of Lord Jellicoe after his funeral in St. Paul's
Cathedral, 25 November 1935
"SI MONUMENTUM REQUIRIS, CIRCUMSPICE."
(From the memorial inscription to Sir Christopher Wren.)
IF the art of the master craftsman be clothed in enduring stone
It is seen of all beholders, and so shall his fame be known;
But since upon many waters a mariner's days be spent
In the hearts of his fellow seamen ye shall seek his monument.
They had watched him labour beside them and, quickened beneath the spell,
They had seen a man in the making and the cost they knew full well,
Appraised by their ancient standards, and knowing no worthier,
He had come to his fullest stature as a master mariner.
Body and soul for his Service, his life for his country's cause,
Eschewing the pleasant by-ways and the cheaply won applause,
Even for those who faltered the smile and the helping hand,
A true commander proven in the school of self-command.
Enduring, in faith and patience, a yoke he might share with none,
His meed the respect unchallenged that may not be lightly won,
Which grew through trust and friendship to the guerdon yet more rare:
The crown of a deep affection which none but the masters wear.
They shed no tear at his passing, for that were never his mind,
But mariners gripped the drag ropes and mariners paced behind,
Rank on rank of his brethren, gathered from sea and land,
In silent homage, praying that the world would understand.
And men looked round about them and a whisper came and went:
"In the hearts of his fellow seamen abideth his monument",
And the mariners turned, contented. Then the bugles told them plain
That, bidden to greater service, he had hoisted his flag again.
... And men looked round about them and a whisper came and went:
"In the hearts of his fellow seamen abideth his monument",
And the mariners turned, contented. Then the bugles told them plain
That, bidden to greater service, he had hoisted his flag again.
