I really want to read more poetry by Ivor Gurney; I've recently discovered him in my rather random reading, and his work is so evocative and powerful. I find it astonishing and tragic that World War I produced so much incredibly art in the midst of so much horror.
First Time In
After the dread tales and red yarns of the Line
Anything might have come to us; but the divine
Afterglow brought us up to a Welsh colony
Hiding in sandbag ditches, whispering consolatory
Soft foreign things. Then we were taken in
To low huts candle-lit, shaded close by slitten
Oilsheets, and there the boys gave us kind welcome,
So that we looked out as from the edge of home,
Sang us Welsh things, and changed all former notions
To human hopeful things. And the next day's guns
Nor any line-pangs ever quite could blot out
That strangely beautiful entry to war's rout;
Candles they gave us, precious and shared over-rations --
Ulysses found little more in his wanderings without doubt.
"David of the White Rock", the "Slumber Song" so soft, and that
Beautiful tune to which roguish words by Welsh pit boys
Are sung -- but never more beautiful than there under the guns' noise.
Beautiful poem. He seems to capture the character of the Welsh voice. Have you read Great Poets of WWI by John Stallworthy. Joy recommended I read it and I fell in love with several of the poets. I have spent quite a bit of time reading through WWI the last 5 years.
ReplyDeleteNo, haven't read that, but it sounds like I need to! I picked up a Penguin anthology of WWI poetry from a library used book shelf recently and have been reading bits of it here and there.
ReplyDelete