Poppies whose roots are in men’s veins

[wolfinthewood]

Break of Day in the Trenches

The darkness crumbles away—
It is the same old druid Time as ever.
Only a live thing leaps my hand—
A queer sardonic rat—
As I pull the parapet’s poppy
To stick behind my ear.
Droll rat, they would shoot you if they knew
Your cosmopolitan sympathies.
Now you have touched this English hand
You will do the same to a German—
Soon, no doubt, if it be your pleasure
To cross the sleeping green between.
It seems you inwardly grin as you pass
Strong eyes, fine limbs, haughty athletes
Less chanced than you for life,
Bonds to the whims of murder,
Sprawled in the bowels of the earth,
The torn fields of France.
What do you see in our eyes
At the shrieking iron and flame
Hurled through still heavens?
What quaver—what heart aghast?
Poppies whose roots are in men’s veins
Drop, and are ever dropping;
But mine in my ear is safe,
Just a little white with the dust.

Isaac Rosenberg (1890–1918)


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Comments

[orkamedies.livejournal.com]

I'd never heard of this poet before. So beautiful (and terrible).

[artnouveauho.livejournal.com]

Oops, that was me. The Ork is visiting at the moment, and I didn't notice he'd logged in.

[wolfinthewood.livejournal.com]

It's an amazing poem. I first read it when I was a teenager, and it still brings a lump to my throat. It came into my mind yesterday when I was looking at poppies growing in a field.

Rosenberg is always included in anthologies of so-called 'First World War' poetry, but otherwise is somewhat neglected, I think. This is one of his best poems.

[artnouveauho.livejournal.com]

It's strange, isn't it, the moments and associations that bring a specific poem to mind? I think this is why we need poetry, why we'll always need it.

[cavalaxis]

God, this is gorgeous.

It wants setting to music.

[wolfinthewood.livejournal.com]

It looks as though at least one composer has set it (http://www.saintjohnsabbey.org/hays/html/works.html). Don't know if it is any good.

There is another setting here (http://groups.msn.com/acousticmusiciansandpoetssoundarchive/poetrysounds.msnw?action=get_message&mview=1&ID_Message=153), with online music file, but you have to be signed up as an MSN user to access it.