I’ve tinkered at my bits of rhymes In weary, woeful, waiting times; In doleful hours of battle—din, Ere yet they brought the wounded i… Through vigils of the fateful nigh…
(France, August first, 1914) Far and near, high and clear, Hark to the call of War! Over the gorse and the golden dell… Ringing and swinging of clamorous…
“But it isn’t playing the game,” h… And he slammed his books away; “The Latin and Greek I’ve got in… Will do for a duller day.” “Rubbish!” I cried; “The bugle’s…
Sez I: My Country calls? Well, l… I grins perlitely and declines wiv… Go, let ‘em plaster every blighted… ’Ere’s ONE they don’t stampede i… Them politicians with their greasy…
. . . So I walked among the willo… There was no moon at all, at all;… There was no light at all, at all;… And I called him as his mother ca… Oh I called him all the night—tim…
Oh the wife she tried to tell me t… Of a wood—pecker a—rapping on the… And she thought that I was foolin… Of the mustering of legions, and ’… ‘Twas calling me to pull my freigh…
Tramp, tramp, the grim road, the r… (I’ve 'ammered out this ditty with… Tramp, tramp, the dim road—we didn… And bellies that was ’oller was th… Tramp, tramp, the bad road, the bi…
“Hae ye heard whit ma auld mither’… It fair maks me hamesick,” says P… “And whit did she send ye?” says… As he cockit his rifle and bleezed… “A haggis! A Haggis!” says Priva…
From wrath—red dawn to wrath—red d… The guns have brayed without abate… And now the sick sun looks upon The bleared, blood—boltered fields… As if it loathed to rise again.
Me and Ed and a stretcher Out on the nootral ground. (If there’s one dead corpse, I’ll… There’s a 'undred smellin’ around.… Me and Eddie O’Brian,
It isn’t the foe that we fear; It isn’t the bullets that whine; It isn’t the business career Of a shell, or the bust of a mine; It isn’t the snipers who seek
Oh, weren’t they the fine boys! Y… Singing all together with their th… Fighting—fit and mirth—mad, music… Swinging on to glory and the wrath… Laughing by and chaffing by, froli…
(The Wounded Canadian Speaks) My leg? It’s off at the knee. Do I miss it? Well, some. You se… I’ve had it since I was born; And lately a devilish corn.
When your marrer bone seems 'oller… And you’re glad you ain’t no talle… And you’re all a—shakin’ like you… When your skin creeps like a pulle… And you’re duckin’ all the bullets…
“Flowers, only flowers—bring me da… Blossoms for forgetfulness,” that… So we sacked our gardens, violets… Lilies white and bluebells laid we… Soft his pale hands touched them,…
I’ve been sittin’ starin’, starin’… And tryin’ to convince meself it’s… (Look out there, lad! That sniper… ’E’ll be layin’ of you out the sam… Jim as lies there in the dug—out w…
There’s a drip of honeysuckle in t… There’s old Martin jogging homewa… There are cherry petals falling, a… And a score of larks (God bless '… For you see I am not really there…
“Where are you going, Young Fello… On this glittering morn of May?” “I’m going to join the Colours, D… They’re looking for men, they say.… “But you’re only a boy, Young Fel…
No, Bill, I’m not a—spooning out… (The cove be’ind the sandbags ain’… And though I strafes ‘em good and… I guess they’re mostly decent, jus… I guess they loves their 'omes and…
O God, take the sun from the sky! It’s burning me, scorching me up. God, can’t You hear my cry? Water! A poor, little cup! It’s laughing, the cursed sun!
I’m gatherin’ flowers by the waysi… I’ve sneaked away from the billet,… ‘E’d call me a silly fat’ead, and… To see me ’ere in the cornfield, w… For Jim and me we are rough uns,…
Oh ye whose hearts are resonant, a… Hear ye the story of a boy, a peas… A lad uncouth and warped with toil… Could feel within his soul upleap… Could stand upright, and scorn and…
I’m goin’ 'ome to Blighty—ain’t I… I’m loaded up wiv fightin’, and I… I’m feelin’ so excited—like, I wa… For I’m goin’ 'ome to Blighty in… I’m goin’ 'ome to Blighty: can yo…
When a girl’s sixteen, and as poor… And she hasn’t a friend and she ha… Heigh—ho! She’s as safe in Paris… As a lamb night—strayed where the… And that was I; oh, it’s seven ye…
When first I left Blighty they ga… And told me it ‘ad to be smothered… But blimey! I ’aven’t been able t… So far as I’ve gone wiv the vinta… For ain’t it a fraud! when a Boch…
It’s easy to fight when everything… And you’re mad with the thrill and… It’s easy to cheer when victory’s… And wallow in fields that are gory… It’s a different song when everyth…
All day long when the shells sail… I stand at the sandbags and take m… But at night, at night I’m a reck… And over the parapet gleams Roman… Romance! Romance! How I’ve dream…
You want me to tell you a story, a… Of our thin red kharki 'eroes, out… Out there where the bombs are bust… and the cannons like 'ell—doors sl… Just order another drink, boys, an…
We brought him in from between the… For what’s the use of risking one’… What’s the use of tearing him loos… When he’s shot in the head, and wo… However, I say, we brought him in…
For oh, when the war will be over We’ll go and we’ll look for our de… We’ll go when the bee’s on the clo… And the plume of the poppy is red: We’ll go when the year’s at its ga…
We was in a crump—'ole, 'im and me… Fightin’ wiv our bayonets was we; Fightin’ ‘ard as ’ell we was, Fightin’ fierce as fire because It was ‘im or me as must be downed…
Poppies, you try to tell me, glowi… Poppies! Ah no! You mock me: It’… It’s gleaming wet in the grasses;… It dabbles the ferns and the clove… It leaps to the startled heavens;…
You make it in your mess—tin by th… You watch it cloud, then settle am… You lift it with your bay’nit, and… The very breath of it is ripe with… You’re awful cold and dirty, and a…
The same old sprint in the morning… Chained all day to the same old de… Posting the same old greasy books,… Oh, how will I manage to stick it… We’ve bidden good—bye to life in a…
And so when he reached my bed The General made a stand: “My brave young fellow,” he said, “I would shake your hand.” So I lifted my arm, the right,
He hurried away, young heart of jo… And I watched him go, my beautifu… For my hair is grey, and his was g… And I’d loved him so, and I’m old… Ah yes, he was proud and swift and…
Humping it here in the dug—out, Sucking me black dudeen, I’d like to say in a general way, There’s nothing like Nickyteen; There’s nothing like Nickyteen, m…
(The French “Tommy”). Oh, some of us lolled in the chate… And some of us slinked in the slum… But now we are here with a song an… To serve at the sign of the drum.
The poppies gleamed like bloody po… The Captain kept a—lookin’ at the… And there we smoked and squatted,… ’Twas wonnerful, I’m tellin’ you,… ’Twas weary work the waiting, thou…
You may talk o’ your lutes and you… Your harps and your tabors and cym… But here in the trenches jist gie… The wee penny whistle o’ Sandy M… Oh, it’s: “Sandy, ma lad, will yo…
My stretcher is one scarlet stain, And as I tries to scrape it clean… I tell you wot—I’m sick with pain For all I’ve 'eard, for all I’ve… Around me is the 'ellish night,
Is it not strange? A year ago to—… With scarce a thought beyond the h… I did my decent job and earned my… Was averagely happy, I’ll be boun… Ay, in my little groove I was con…
Since all that is was ever bound t… Since grim, eternal laws our Bein… And both the riddle and the answer… And both the carnage and the calm… Since plain within the Book of De…
‘Ave you seen Bill’s mug in the N… ‘E’s gyned the Victoriar Cross, t… Little Bill wot would grizzle and… If you ‘it ’im a swipe on the jawr… ‘E’s slaughtered the Kaiser’s men…
Missis Moriarty called last week,… “Sure the heart of me’s broken ent… You’ve still got your Dinnis to c… Lyin’ alone, cold as a stone, kilt… Oh, I’m seein’ him now as I looke…
A Belgian Priest—Soldier Speaks; GURR! You cochon! Stand and fig… Show your mettle! Snarl and bite! Spawn of an accursed race, Turn and meet me face to face!
I’ve got a little job on 'and, the… At seven by the Captain’s watch I… I wants to 'ave it nice and neat,… And I 'opes the God of soldier me… Because, you see, it’s somethin’…
What do they matter, our headlong… Think ye our glory and gain will p… By the cheers of our Victory will… If by the Victory all we mean is… Is the pomp and power of a glitt’r…
There were two brothers, John and… And when the town went up in flame… To save the house of James dashed… Then turned, and lo! his own was g… And when the great World War bega…
Give me the scorn of the stars and… Wail of the pines and a wind with… Night and a trail unknown and a he… Give me to live and love in the ol… A soldier’s billet at night and a…
As I was saying . . . (No, thank… Cows weren’t allowed in the trench… As I was saying, our Colonel leap… “Come on, lads!” he shouts, “and w… Then some bally thing seemed to tr…
I look into the aching womb of nig… I look across the mist that masks… The moon is tired and gives but li… The stars have gone to bed. The earth is sick and seems to bre…
My job is done; my rhymes are rank… My word-battalions marching verse… Here stanza-companies are none too… There print-platoons are weak, but… And as in marshalled order I revi…