But fame is theirs - and future days On pillar'd brass shall tell their praise; Shall tell - when cold neglect is dead - "These for their country fought and bled."

Freneau contrasts the fickleness of contemporary public attention (“cold neglect”) with the durable judgment of posterity. The speaker insists that even if living society fails to honor its defenders, “future days” will preserve their reputation in permanent memorial form—“pillar’d brass,” a conventional emblem of monumental inscription and lasting fame. The closing line, framed as an epitaph, elevates the subjects into patriotic martyrs: their merit is proved by sacrifice (“fought and bled”) rather than by social status or immediate applause. The passage participates in Revolutionary-era commemorative rhetoric, arguing that national memory and civic gratitude should outlast transient indifference.