An amazing poem about the human spirit

One of the best poems about the human spirit is Whittier's Barbara Frietchie. It's about a woman's refusal to surrender her belief in the Union during the Civil War as Confederate troops marched through her town. Whittier's lines flow with the steadiness of the marching Confederate troops; further, he doesn't saturate his lines with words that mask the poem's meaning. Instead, he's "upfront and personal," enabling readers to peer over his shoulder as he comments on the action.

Here are the poem's first six stanzas:

UP from the meadows rich with corn,
Clear in the cool September morn,

The clustered spires of Frederick stand
Green-walled by the hills of Maryland.

Round about them orchards sweep,
Apple and peach trees fruited deep,

Fair as the garden of the Lord
To the eyes of the famished rebel horde,

On that pleasant morn of the early fall
When Lee marched o'er the mountain-wall;

Over the mountains winding down,
Horse and foot, into Frederick town.

You can read the rest of the poem here.