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THE WAR POEMS OF SIEGFRIED SASSOON

1919

LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN

Dans la treve desolee de cette matinee, ces hommes qui avaient ete tenailles par la fatigue, fouettes par la pluie, bouleverses par toute une nuit de tonnerre, ces rescapes des volcans et de l'inondation entrevoyaient a quel point la guerre, aussi hideuse au moral qu'au physique, non seulement viole le bon sens, avilit les grandes idees, commande tous les crimes--mais ils se rappelaient combien elle avait developpe en eux et autour d'eux tous les mauvais instincts sans en excepter un seul; la mechancete jusqu'au sadisme, l'egoisme jusqu'a la ferocite, le besoin de jouir jusqu'a la folie.

HENRI BARBUSSE.

(_Le Feu._)

NOTE

Of these 64 poems, 12 are now published for the first time. The remainder are selected from two previous volumes.

CONTENTS

I

PRELUDE: THE TROOPS 11

DREAMERS 13

THE REDEEMER 14

TRENCH DUTY 16

WIRERS 17

BREAK OF DAY 18

A WORKING PARTY 21

STAND-TO: GOOD FRIDAY MORNING 24

"IN THE PINK" 25

THE HERO 26

BEFORE THE BATTLE 27

THE ROAD 28

TWO HUNDRED YEARS AFTER 29

THE DREAM 30

AT CARNOY 32

BATTALION RELIEF 33

THE DUG-OUT 35

THE REAR-GUARD 36

I STOOD WITH THE DEAD 38

SUICIDE IN TRENCHES 39

Table of contents (by pages)

• 1: The War Poems of Siegfried Sassoon by Sassoon
• 2: The War Poems of Siegfried Sassoon by Sassoon
• 3: And foundered trench lines volleying doom for doom
• 4: The wiring party's going out And yawning sentries mumble
• 5: Three hours ago he stumbled up the trench
• 6: All ruts and stones and sludge
• 7: Mud splashed and white and jaded
• 8: With sweat of horror in his hair
• 9: And clink of shovels deepening the shallow trench
• 10: Who'll buy my nice fresh corpses
• 11: I watched one daring beggar looping loops
• 12: I heard the Yellow Pressmen grunt and squeal
• 13: Will Captain Croesus come this way
• 14: And splits a skull to win my praise
• 15: Have you found everlasting day
• 16: Dizzy moth that bumps and flutters
• 17: The jangle and throb of a piano
• 18: Two bleeding years I fought in France for Squire
• 19: My heart was shaken with tears and horror Drifted away