Alone among the masters of war and leadership
Was Napoleon Bonaparte of the French Empire
More than understood the flow and tactics of war
He dreamed in strategy, creatively wove battles
Some nations only respond to armies and warships
His will and accomplished talents set Europe afire
The invasion of the Russian Empire settled no scores
Still, his army hadn't crossed the English Channel
He saw his invasion and grand strategy, as genius
Due to trials his troops suffered, they trusted him
Napoleon and army arrived to find the city of Moscow
Her defenders set it afire, denied it to the French Eagle
He won most battles but still lost, a revealed hubris
For once he couldn't a guarantee victory by his skills
And while he was shaken, his way was still proud
For in his mind he'd built an empire without equal
He'd been victim of believing of his own greatness
While skills and talents in war are important
While skills and talents in war are important
But even Napoleon recognized the truth
That our future will be built and bloom
By cultivating thought, art, and architecture
With war we shall only arrive
In our deep oblivion and doom
In our deep oblivion and doom
“There are but two powers in the world, the sword and the
mind. In the long run the sword is always beaten by the mind”
