On Receiving News of the War
Isaac Rosenberg 1890 (Bristol) – 1918 (Somme)
Snow is a strange white word.
No ice or frost
Has asked of bud or bird
For Winter's cost.
Yet ice and frost and snow
From earth to sky
This Summer land doth know.
No man knows why.
In all men's hearts it is.
Some spirit old
Hath turned with malign kiss
Our lives to mould.
Red fangs have torn His face.
God's blood is shed.
He mourns from His lone place
His children dead.
O! ancient crimson curse!
Corrode, consume.
Give back this universe
Its pristine bloom.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 27 sec read
- 428 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABAB CDCD XEXE FGFG HIHI |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 449 |
Words | 90 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
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"On Receiving News of the War" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 Sep. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/19393/on-receiving-news-of-the-war>.
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