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The Mother

If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. Rupert  Brook

If you should die, think only this of me
In that still quietness where is space for thought,
Where parting, loss and bloodshed shall not be,
And men may rest themselves and dream of nought:
That in some place a mystic mile away
One whom you loved has drained the bitter cup
Till there is nought to drink; has faced the day
Once more, and now, has raised the standard up.

And think, my son, with eyes grown clear and dry
She lives as though for ever in your sight,
Loving the things you loved, with heart aglow
For country, honour, truth, traditions high,
—Proud that you paid their price. (And if some night
Her heart should break—well, lad, you will not know.

Notes

[Written after reading Rupert Brooke's Sonnet,V "The Soldier":]

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  • December 19, 2006
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    the mother

    From guest michelle (contact)
    Grief is a multi-faceted response to loss. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, it also has a physical, cognitive, behavioral, social and philosophical dimension. In May Herschel-Clarke's sonnet "The Mother," Herschel-Clarke portrays a grieving mother while her son is away at war. May Herschel-Clarke does this through her use of figurative language, poetic devices, and diction.