Liebestod

A poem by Alan Seeger (1888-1916)

I who, conceived beneath another star,

Had been a prince and played with life, instead

Have been its slave, an outcast exiled far

From the fair things my faith has merited.

My ways have been the ways that wanderers tread

And those that make romance of poverty —

Soldier, I shared the soldier’s board and bed,

And Joy has been a thing more oft to me

Whispered by summer wind and summer sea

Than known incarnate in the hours it lies

All warm against our hearts and laughs into our eyes.

I know not if in risking my best days

I shall leave utterly behind me here

This dream that lightened me through lonesome ways

And that no disappointment made less dear;

Sometimes I think that, where the hilltops rear

Their white entrenchments back of tangled wire,

Behind the mist Death only can make clear,

There, like Brunhilde ringed with flaming fire,

Lies what shall ease my heart’s immense desire:

There, where beyond the horror and the pain

Only the brave shall pass, only the strong attain.

Truth or delusion, be it as it may,

Yet think it true, dear friends, for, thinking so,

That thought shall nerve our sinews on the day

When to the last assault our bugles blow:

Reckless of pain and peril we shall go,

Heads high and hearts aflame and bayonets bare,

And we shall brave eternity as though

Eyes looked on us in which we would seem fair —

One waited in whose presence we would wear,

Even as a lover who would be well-seen,

Our manhood faultless and our honor clean.

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Batty Writing – the bat’s idle chatter, thoughts, ideas and observations, all original, all fresh

Poems in English 

• Coal-Truck by T. Wignesan by Poetry In English
• Cinderella by Roald Dahl by Poetry In English
• blessing for sound health by matthew scott harris by Poetry In English
• Black Lake by Memphis Knight by Poetry In English
• Before The Law by Michael Major by Poetry In English
• A Conceit by Maya Angelou by Poetry In English
• A Rythm Upon Our Trusts by Michael McGovern by Poetry In English
• Your Poems on My Patio by Martina Reisz Newberry by Poetry In English
• Yesterday’s Mishaps by Mary Etta Metcalf by Poetry In English
• Yes Dear by Mary Etta Metcalf by Poetry In English
• Words Unspoken by Mark Olynyk by Poetry In English
• Woman With Parasol by Martin Willitts Jr. by Poetry In English
• Why Write? by Mark Olynyk by Poetry In English
• Where Have We All Gone by Mary Etta Metcalf by Poetry In English
• What is Poetry? by Mark Olynyk by Poetry In English
• Wednesday by Marvin Bell by Poetry In English
• To Sea by Martin Zakovski by Poetry In English
• To Dorothy by Marvin Bell by Poetry In English
• They Thought Her Crazy by Mary Etta Metcalf by Poetry In English
• These Green-Going-to-Yellow by Marvin Bell by Poetry In English

More external links (open in a new tab):

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Ecosia – a search engine that supposedly… plants trees

Duckduckgo – the real alternative and a search engine that actually works. Without much censorship or partisan politics.

Yahoo– yes, it’s still around, amazingly, miraculously, incredibly, but now it seems to be powered by Bing.

 

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