This stanza is from Macaulay. I see it often, like most others, and in these weeks has been frequently quoted to highlight the courage of the Ukrainians who defended their nation.
Horatius bravely escaped.
Captain of the Gate
“To all men on this planet
The end is near or far away.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
His fathers’ ashes,
His temples are his idols.”
While it’s powerful, however, I have found it to be a bit distant because of two last lines. It seems that those who are religious, not entirely, don’t pay as much attention to particular temples as they did. Although it is easy to see the two last lines as an example of nation, home and family, this requires some conceptual expansion.
I found the following four lines just this morning. Let me quote the first stanza again, but now with those lines.
Horatius bravely escaped.
The Captain of the Gate:
“To all men on this planet
The end is near or far away.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
His fathers’ ashes,
The temples of his gods are also there
The tender mother
He was put to sleep by the one who cherished him.
The wife who nursed
“His baby is at his breast.”
This effect is slightly different, I believe. The poem is more complex than the one you see, but not as effective.