Thread: W. W. I
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Unread 05-07-2017, 10:07 PM
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R. S. Gwynn R. S. Gwynn is offline
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Few pay much attention to Sassoon anymore, though without him there would have been no Owen. S.S. was much devoted to Hardy. It was good to see James Fenton quoting Sassoon in this week's NYRB.

Dreamers

BY SIEGFRIED SASSOON

Soldiers are citizens of death's grey land,
Drawing no dividend from time's to-morrows.
In the great hour of destiny they stand,
Each with his feuds, and jealousies, and sorrows.
Soldiers are sworn to action; they must win
Some flaming, fatal climax with their lives.
Soldiers are dreamers; when the guns begin
They think of firelit homes, clean beds and wives.

I see them in foul dug-outs, gnawed by rats,
And in the ruined trenches, lashed with rain,
Dreaming of things they did with balls and bats,
And mocked by hopeless longing to regain
Bank-holidays, and picture shows, and spats,
And going to the office in the train.

Sassoon's skillful use (and non-use) of the comma is an object lesson in punctuation.

Last edited by R. S. Gwynn; 05-07-2017 at 10:21 PM.
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