War's a joke for me and you,
While we know such dreams are true.
Siegfried Sassoon
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Out there, we've walked quite friendly up to Death, —
Sat down and eaten with him, cool and bland, —
Pardoned his spilling mess-tins in our hand.
We've sniffed the green thick odour of his breath, —
Our eyes wept, but our courage didn't writhe.
He's spat at us with bullets and he's coughed
Shrapnel. We chorussed when he sang aloft,
We whistled while he shaved us with his scythe.
Oh, Death was never enemy of ours!
We laughed at him, we leagued with him, old chum.
No soldier's paid to kick against His powers.
We laughed, — knowing that better men would come,
And greater wars: when each proud fighter brags
He wars on Death, for lives; not men, for flags.
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Comments
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I think this poem is very powerful. It points out the confusion of bravery and purpose, so much part of the current day, when nations or causes exploit the will of citizens to serve country to resort to conflict. These are words of a brave soldier, facing the life and death struggle of war. He does not say it ought to be...that war represents the high pursuit of people and reason; war has an intrinsic virtue. He speaks of the mind of the people facing the horror and the realization that survival is the only sensible goal, and the horrible costs. There is an elegant simplicity here in these open and expressive words. PK
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Is it over?
From guest John-117 (contact)
I dont think so. As long as the Brutes still have breath i will take it from them. I will return and someday and rest my weary head, but today i cannot. I have a Job to do and an enemy to Fight. Wait for me. -
Believe
From guest Prophet of Truth (contact)
Nations have always built monuments to their heroes, tributes that are defense against, or conquest of other nations. but the monument here doesn't favor one nation over another, it is the first of its kind to commemorate the enduring survival of a species. Our species. More importantly it commemorates the man who gave then world faith, who gave humanity a future, who made mankind believe again, Master Chief Petty Officer John 117 -
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Sassoon's quote
From guest Simon (contact)
i was wondering if anyone knows the context of the quote being put in the poem? -
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Sassoon, at the time they met, a much more radical poet than Owen became Owen's poetical mentor, on handwritten copies of Owen's work Sassoons amendments emendments and suggestions can often be seen. I would have thought it likely that Sassoon attached the poem to the Owen work, and when Owen's work was published, mainly posthumously, the publisher thought it fitted.
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This paints quite the descriptive scene of what it's like to be in the face of death day after day during times of war. I cannot even imagine what our men and women have had to face all through history just to get us where we are today.
♥ Kimberly -
I almost like the Sassoon quote, though war is not a funny joke.
I like the personification of death here. Almost reminds me of the final scenes of Monty Python's meaning of life, minus the humor.
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