My enemy came nigh,
And I
Stared fiercely in his face.
My lips went writhing back in a grimace,
And stern I watched him with a narrow eye.
Then, as I turned away, my enemy,
That bitter heart and savage, said to me:
"Some day, when this is past,
When all the arrows that we have are cast,
We may ask one another why we hate,
And fail to find a story to relate.
It may seem then to us a mystery
That we should hate each other."
Thus said he,
And did not turn away,
Waiting to hear what I might have to say,
But I fled quickly, fearing had I stayed
I might have kissed him as I would a maid.
Leave a guest comment (subject to review)
Comments
1 - 9 of 9
-
It makes it easier to kill the enemy!
It makes it easier to kill them. And you must or they will kill you. And you must do it without delay. You don't have the option of waiting. If you think of them as human you may be too late on the trigger. It's sad, but there is no help for it. It's the price we pay for freedom. -
This is a perfect piece of poetry, the message in it, its so true and depicts the foolery of humanity "hatred" very well.. Everything, by time fades away, so why start it?
Lonely -
genius
-
Superb Plus
'tis a very fine write, indeed. You have expressed your thoughts quite well, and your, somewhat, surprise ending brought a gentle smile to my face. Thanks for sharing. -
Nice going Jimmy
-
This is a dramatic poem with an indirect moral- the futility of hate. While we read articles of long-drawn battles in Gaza, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, we know that there is more reasons to live and let live than to kill, but like the narrator of this poem we all flee to the comfort of our own hatreds which we embrace in desperation.
-
Crock of Insight
James Stephens has been a favorite writer of mine for years, after "discovering" THE CROCK OF GOLD. I was unaware of his poetry, and this poem being composed in the World War 1 period is also intriguing.
Charley Noble -
This Poem
From guest Ron B (contact)
Has been a favorite of mine for forty years. I visited here to make sure the version I recite to myself when driving alone is word-for-word. It is. Thank you. -
So true. When the enemy is not of our making, the heart and logic react differently. This poem reminds me of the WWII stories my grandfather told when his unit encountered the enemy soldiers during the christmas holiday. Both sides, fortunately without the overzealousness of the commanders present, decided to put down their weapons and shared food and enjoyed the spirit of the holiday. Powerful.
-
Wow very touching piece indeed... so indepth.. So hard to touch the subject of war and the emotions mixed up with it.. Its the nervous giddiness on the night before christmas wondering of your presents.. its the shivering bumps on your arms next to your worst fear... the want of releasing your hate with that of your own anger and revenge that you seek through it... then again you can turn it into the confusion of why you hate the enemy so in the first place when with no reason are you brought to war? to hate someone you do not even know to shed blood the same that flows in both your bodies for a short moment in a speck of life that must hate and be brought to hate when no one would remember.... are you a victim of your enemy.. shall you be set free.. is a wondering question indeed.. why cant we do what we can to aviod such calamidy...
Adding your comment:
1 - 9 of 9
