"let it not be like hogs / Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot"
In these first two lines, the speaker describes the way they should not die, in anticipation of his later descriptions of how they should. Here he describes an "inglorious" death of capitulating to the enemy, and the repeated "n" sounds in "hunted and penned in an inglorious spot" replicate the feeling of being penned together that the speaker describes. "Hogs" readily suggests the human/non-human thread running throughout the poem, and because "hog" often refers specifically to a castrated male pig, it also suggests a gendered dynamic to the speaker's exhortation. Not facing the enemy, the speaker suggests, would not only dehumanize them but strip them of their "manhood."
"So that our precious blood may not be shed / In vain"
If their blood must be shed, the speaker argues here, then at least a noble death will make that loss of life mean something. "Precious" is a key word here, showing that the speaker is not at all bloodthirsty like the "dogs." The speaker clearly sees great value in life, and only advocates violence because there doesn't seem to be any option.
"then even the monsters we defy / Shall be constrained to honor us though dead!"
Here the speaker characterizes the enemy in even stronger terms as "monsters." Despite this formidable—even terrifying—threat, the speaker encourages resistance: he and his kinsmen can prove their humanity by facing their inhuman foes. These lines also serve to develop the poem's themes of freedom and oppression, for here the speaker suggests that if they fight back it is the enemy, not them, who will be "constrained." Whether their enemies want to or not, they will be forced to honor them after they're gone.
"O, kinsmen! we must meet the common foe!"
Here the speaker again uses the archaic "O," addressing his "kinsmen" in an elevated way. "Must" is more imperative than the earlier "let," and the use of two exclamation points in a single line adds to this sense of urgency. "Foe" backs off from the harsher characterizations of the enemy used earlier, perhaps to make the "common foe" seem like a more realistic opponent. And, finally, "kinsmen" and "common" here create a firm sense of fellowship and shared aims, imploring the "kinsmen" to band together against the threat.
"Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack / Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!"
Here the speaker drops the conditional language altogether, stating firmly that "we'll face" the enemies. The animalistic language returns with the word "pack," and the speaker denounces his enemies as both evil and bloodthirsty ("murderous") but also faint-hearted ("cowardly"). By contrast, the speaker confirms that his kinsmen will face their foe "like men," continuing to fight back even though they face helpless odds.
