Sunday War Poet...

Seigfried Sassoon

(1886 - 1967)

Absolution

The anguish of the earth absolves our eyes 

Till beauty shines in all that we can see. 

War is our scourge; yet war has made us wise, 

And, fighting for our freedom, we are free. 

Horror of wounds and anger at the foe,

And loss of things desired; all these must pass. 

We are the happy legion, for we know 

Time’s but a golden wind that shakes the grass. 

There was an hour when we were loth to part 

From life we longed to share no less than others.

Now, having claimed this heritage of heart, 

What need we more, my comrades and my brothers? 

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Siegfried Sassoon was an eminent soldier, writer and poet. His war poetry about WW1 form some of the most influential work of all the war poets.

He is one of my favourite poets and Absolution is one of my favourite WW1 poems.

It makes me cry every time, for a generation of lost young men and women.


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