[Vision2020] Rouge Bouquet - Joyce kilmer

[lfalen]

Thanks
Roger
-----Original message-----
From: Wayne Price bear at moscow.com
Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:43:53 -0800
To: lfalen lfalen at turbonet.com
Subject: Rouge Bouquet - Joyce kilmer

> Rouge Bouquet
> 
> Joyce Kilmer (1886–1918)
> 
> 
> IN a wood they call the Rouge Bouquet	
> There is a new-made grave to-day,	
> Built by never a spade nor pick	
> Yet covered with earth ten metres thick.	
> There lie many fighting men,	        5
>    Dead in their youthful prime,	
> Never to laugh nor love again	
>    Nor taste the Summertime.	
> For Death came flying through the air	
> And stopped his flight at the dugout stair,	        10
> Touched his prey and left them there,	
>    Clay to clay.	
> He hid their bodies stealthily	
> In the soil of the land they fought to free	
>    And fled away.	        15
> Now over the grave abrupt and clear	
>    Three volleys ring;	
> And perhaps their brave young spirits hear	
>    The bugle sing:	
> “Go to sleep!	        20
> Go to sleep!	
> Slumber well where the shell screamed and fell.	
> Let your rifles rest on the muddy floor,	
> You will not need them any more.	
> Danger’s past;	        25
> Now at last,	
> Go to sleep!”	
> 
> There is on earth no worthier grave	
> To hold the bodies of the brave	
> Than this place of pain and pride	        30
> Where they nobly fought and nobly died.	
> Never fear but in the skies	
> Saints and angels stand	
> Smiling with their holy eyes	
> On this new-come band.	        35
> St. Michael’s sword darts through the air	
> And touches the aureole on his hair	
> As he sees them stand saluting there,	
>    His stalwart sons;	
> And Patrick, Brigid, Columkill	        40
> Rejoice that in veins of warriors still	
>    The Gael’s blood runs.	
> And up to Heaven’s doorway floats,	
>    From the wood called Rouge Bouquet,	
> A delicate cloud of buglenotes	        45
>    That softly say:	
> “Farewell!	
> Farewell!	
> Comrades true, born anew, peace to you!	
> Your souls shall be where the heroes are	        50
> And your memory shine like the morning-star.	
> Brave and dear,	
> Shield us here.	
> Farewell!”	
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Jan 21, 2012, at 10:58 AM, lfalen wrote:
> 
> > Trees by Joyce Kilmer is one of my favorite poems. He wrote "Rouge  
> > bouquet" three days before he was killed during the World War I  
> > (1918). It waw written as a tribute to a group of his fellow  
> > soldiers who were killed. He read it over there graves.
> > After he was killed, it was read over his grave. I wanted to post it  
> > here but do not have the skills to do so. Perhaps someone with the  
> > request skills can do so.
> > Roger
> >
> > =======================================================
> > List services made available by First Step Internet,
> > serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> >               http://www.fsr.net
> >          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> > =======================================================
> 
> 
>