Before the sun had found the ridge A hard wind crossed the sleeping rows No bird would sing above the ships Only leather, bronze, and throats A whisper moved from shield to shield Not prayer, not comfort, not command Something older than the marching drums Had laid its hand upon the land Strife at dawn, strife at dawn She walked ahead and pulled men on Bronze in the breath of the waking plain And morning learned the taste of pain Strife at dawn, strife at dawn No heart stood still, no night stayed long The day rose red, the spearpoints shone And mercy stepped away alone Through ash-gray light the runners came With lifted arms and sharpened breath Wake the drivers, bind the straps Call the living toward their death Helmets caught the unborn day Like frozen sparks before the flame Then the first cry split the dark And every man forgot his name Strife at dawn, strife at dawn She walked ahead and pulled men on Bronze in the breath of the waking plain And morning learned the taste of pain Strife at dawn, strife at dawn No heart stood still, no night stayed long The day rose red, the spearpoints shone And mercy stepped away alone Dust was still a moment more Then dust became a second sky Boot and axle, hide and horn All were driven to collide Men who carried dreams of home Fell before the sun stood high Glory never speaks in words It strikes, then leaves the throat run dry Who calls this light a blessing now When daylight only shows the blade? The sun climbed up without remorse And looked on all that men had made Still they ran where honor pointed Still they struck for shame and pride And somewhere fate kept counting calmly With no need at all to hide Strife at dawn, strife at dawn She drove them where the light moved on Bronze in the breath of the broken plain And morning wore a crown of pain Strife at dawn, strife at dawn The first blow never falls alone The day began with shouted names And ended sounding just the same Before the noon could claim its due The earth already knew
