Poems of the Great War - Published on Behalf of the Prince of Wales's National Relief Fund (WWI Centenary Series)

Various

• Publisher: Last Post Press
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781528765459
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Poetry
• Index: Literature

This work was originally published in 1914. It contains a collection of war poetry by poets such as Robert Bridges, Alfred Noyes, G. K. Chesterton, and many more. This is a wonderful publication for anyone with an interest in verse inspired by the Great War.This book is part of the World War One Centenary series; creating, collating and reprinting new and old works of poetry, fiction, autobiography and analysis. The series forms a commemorative tribute to mark the passing of one of the world's bloodiest wars, offering new perspectives on this tragic yet fascinating period of human history. Each publication also includes brand new introductory essays and a timeline to help the reader place the work in its historical context.

"WAKE UP, ENGLAND"

Thou careless, awake!

Thou peacemaker, fight!

Stand, England, for honour,

And God guard the Right!

Thy mirth lay aside,

Thy cavil and play:

The foe is upon thee,

And grave is the day.

The monarch Ambition

Hath harnessed his slaves;

But the folk of the Ocean

Are free as the waves.

For Peace thou art armed

Thy Freedom to hold:

Thy Courage as iron,

Thy Good-faith as gold.

Through Fire, Air, and Water

Thy trial must be:

But they that love life best

Die gladly for thee.

The Love of their mothers

Is strong to command;

The fame of their fathers

Is might to their hand.

Much suffering shall cleanse thee;

But thou through the flood

Shalt win to Salvation,

To Beauty through blood.

Up, careless, awake!

Ye peacemakers, fight!

England stands for Honour:

God defend the Right!

ROBERT BRIDGES,

Poet Laureate

THE VIGIL

England! where the sacred flame

Burns before the inmost shrine,

Where the lips that love thy name

Consecrate their hopes and thine,

Where the banners of thy dead

Weave their shadows overhead,

Watch beside thine arms to-night,

Pray that God defend the Right.

Think that when to-morrow comes

War shall claim command of all,

Thou must hear the roll of drums,

Thou must hear the trumpet's call.

Now before they silence ruth,

Commune with the voice of truth;

England! on thy knees to-night

Pray that God defend the Right.

Single-hearted, unafraid,

Hither all thy heroes came,

On this altar's steps were laid

Gordon's life and Outram's fame.

England! if thy will be yet

By their great example set,

Here beside thine arms to-night

Pray that God defend the Right.

So shalt thou when morning comes

Rise to conquer or to fall,

Joyful hear the rolling drums,

Joyful hear the trumpet's call.

Then let memory tell thy heart;

"England! what thou wert, thou art!"

Gird thee with thine ancient might,

Forth! and God defend the Right!

HENRY NEWBOLT

TO THE TROUBLER OF THE WORLD

At last we know you, War-lord. You, that flung

The gauntlet down, fling down the mask you wore,

Publish your heart, and let its pent hate pour,

You that had God for ever on your tongue.

We are old in war, and if in guile we are young,

Young also is the spirit that evermore

Burns in our bosom ev'n as heretofore,

Nor are these thews unbraced, these nerves unstrung.

We do not with God's name make wanton play;

We are not on such easy terms with Heaven;

But in Earth's hearing we can verily say,

"Our hands are pure; for peace, for peace we have striven";

And not by Earth shall he be soon forgiven

Who lit the fire accurst that flames to-day.

WILLIAM WATSON

TO ENGLAND: TO STRIKE QUICKLY

Fight, since thou must; strike quick and fierce,

So when this tyrant for too long

Hath shook the blood out of his ears

He may have learned the price of wrong.

Let him learn this, that the due grief

Of his own vice he cannot ban

By outrage of a highway thief;

Let him remember the Corsican,

Whom England only durst not dread

By sea or shore, but faced alone,

Nor stayed for pity of her dead

Until the despot's day was done.

Strike, England, quickly, make an end

Of him who seeks a deal with thee.

If he would bargain for thy friend,

What would he trade for Liberty?

MAURICE HEWLETT

THE FOURTH OF AUGUST

Now in thy splendour go before us,

Spirit of England, ardent-eyed!

Enkindle this dear earth that bore us,

In the hour of peril purified.

The cares we hugged drop out of vision,

Our hearts with deeper thoughts dilate.

We step from days of sour division

Into the grandeur of our fate.

For us the glorious dead have striven;

They battled that we might be free.

We to that living cause are given,

We arm for men that are to be.

Among the nations nobliest chartered,

England recalls her heritage.

With her is that which is not bartered,

Which force can neither quell nor cage.

For her immortal stars are burning,

With her, the hope that's never done,

The seed that's in the Spring's returning,

The very flower that seeks the sun.

We fight the fraud that feeds desire on

Lies, in a lust to enslave or kill,

The barren creed of blood and iron,

Vampire of Europe's wasted will.

Endure, O Earth! and thou, awaken,

Purged by this dreadful winnowing-fan,

O wronged, untameable, unshaken

Soul of di...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction to the World War One Centenary Series
• A Timeline of the Major Events of World War One in Europe
• Memoirs, Diaries and Poems of World War One
• Poems of the Great War