“As by the shore at break of day”

As by the shore, at break of day,
A vanquished chief expiring lay,
Upon the sands, with broken sword,
  He traced his farewell to the free;
And there the last unfinished word
  He dying wrote, was “Liberty!”

At night a sea-bird shrieked the knell
Of him who thus for freedom fell:
The words he wrote, ere evening came,
  Were covered by the sounding sea;—
So pass away the cause and name
  Of him who dies for liberty!