At a Calvary near the Ancre
One ever hangs where shelled roads part.
In this war He too lost a limb,
But His disciples hide apart;
And now the Soldiers bear with Him.
Near Golgotha strolls many a priest,
And in their faces there is pride
That they were flesh-marked by the Beast
By whom the gentle Christ's denied.
The scribes on all the people shove
And brawl allegiance to the state,
But they who love the greater love
Lay down their life; they do not hate.
Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)
WWI soldier poet, describing a roadside crucifix damaged in battle
1 comment:
Serendipitously, I've been reading Rites of Spring by Modris Eksteins. Has a lot to say about how WWI changed our culture, and did indeed make a new world, for better and worse. Nice illustration.
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