Poetry Corner

[George Hannah]

Dulce et Decorum Est
Wilfred Owen - 1893-1918

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.

Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime...
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,—
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.

An explosive rendition from Brian Blessed

 

[Saddleworth2]

An explosive rendition from Brian Blessed

You a poetry buff George? I really admire the ability to express very sophisticated thoughts through verse.

 

[George Hannah]

Remember
BY CHRISTINA ROSSETTI
Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann'd:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.

Emma Fielding reads it well

 

[George Hannah]

You a poetry buff George? I really admire the ability to express very sophisticated thoughts through verse.

Words are my hobby and consolation ;)

 

[Saddleworth2]

Words are my hobby and consolation ;)

I like the war poets and a lot of the more recent stuff. I’m not as drawn to classical poetry, maybe because of how it was taught at school. Funnily enough, I love classical literature and Dickens is pretty much my favourite author.

 

[goon]

 

[George Hannah]

Not come across her before - according to the Guardian she's more cheerful now than when she started writing 15 years ago. Under the wing of John Cooper Clark these days apparently and formerly member of a punk band. She greatly admired The Clash whose roadie Johnny Green was also recently on the tour with her.

 

[mancity2012_eamo]

Words are my hobby and consolation ;)

Do you write anything yourself?

 

[George Hannah]

Do you write anything yourself?

Only stuff about genealogy now - as Voltaire caustically remarked 'the science of fools with long memories'. I used to be a reporter many years ago before a stint of 40 years as a civil servant.

 

[bluemooners09]

If you must write prose and poems
The words you use should be your own
Don't plagiarize or take "on loan"
Cause there's always- someone,somewhere
With a big nose, who knows
And who trips you up and laughs
When you fall

My words.