Rupert Brooke, “The Soldier”

If I should die, think only this of me:
     That there’s some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. There shall be
     In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
     Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam;
A body of England’s, breathing English air,
     Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.

And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
     A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
          Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
     And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
          In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.

Rupert Brooke, 1887-1915 – “The Soldier” from Collected Poems

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3 responses

  1. luisa zambrotta Avatar
    luisa zambrotta

    A great poem… even if war is not such a heroic act

    Liked by 2 people

  2. Tim Miller Avatar
    Tim Miller

    I’ve got great sympathy especially for the WW1 generation, the last one to march off to war thinking it was something romantic. But unfortunately, one of Cormac McCarthy’s characters seems to get it right about war (and the words ‘man’ and ‘men’ are just as unfortunately appropriate):

    “It makes no difference what men think of war, said the judge. War endures. As well ask men what they think of stone. War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner. That is the way it was and will be. That way and not some other way.”

    Liked by 1 person

  3. luisa zambrotta Avatar
    luisa zambrotta

    This is a wise and profound reflection.
    Thank you very much for sharing it🙏

    Liked by 1 person

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#217: Voices from 1900-1914 – Human Voices Wake Us

An episode from 1/2/23: Tonight, I read a handful of voices from those living in Europe and the United States between 1900 and 1914. Rephrased only slightly, nearly all of their concerns (over technology, gender, nationalism, war, eugenics) feel like they could appear in the news or on the street today. Then and now, what is actually going on alongside all the dread? What can we learn from these voices that sound so much like our own, and what will people look back on 2023 learn for themselves?Each of these quotations can be found in Philipp Blom’s wonderful book, The Vertigo Years.The best way to support the podcast is by leaving a review on Apple or Spotify, sharing it with others, or sending me a note on what you think. You can also order any of my books: Time and the River: From Columbine to the Invention of Fire, due out next year, is now available for preorder. Other books include Notes from the Grid, To the House of the Sun, The Lonely Young & the Lonely Old, and Bone Antler Stone. I've also edited a handful of books in the S4N Pocket Poems series. I also have a YouTube channel where I share poems and excerpts from these books, mostly as YouTube shorts.Email me at humanvoiceswakeus1@gmail.com.
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