The Next War (poem)
Encyclopedia
The Next War is a poem by Wilfred Owen. It was written in late September 1917, and revised in July 1918. It is no. 160 in edition 'The Complete Poems and Fragments'.
form and follows a conventional sonnet structure.It starts out with a quote from Siegfried Sassoon
.
War's a joke for me and you,
Wile we know such dreams are true.
The poem goes on to declare that death is not the enemy and that better men will replace them on the battlefield. It ends with:
Oh, Death was never enemy of ours!
We laughed at him, we leagued with him, old chum.
No soldier's paid to kick against his powers.
We laughed, knowing that better men would come,
And greater wars; when each proud fighter brags
He wars on Death - for lives; not men - for flags.
Content
The poem is in a sonnetSonnet
A sonnet is one of several forms of poetry that originate in Europe, mainly Provence and Italy. A sonnet commonly has 14 lines. The term "sonnet" derives from the Occitan word sonet and the Italian word sonetto, both meaning "little song" or "little sound"...
form and follows a conventional sonnet structure.It starts out with a quote from Siegfried Sassoon
Siegfried Sassoon
Siegfried Loraine Sassoon CBE MC was an English poet, author and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World War. His poetry both described the horrors of the trenches, and satirised the patriotic pretensions of those who, in Sassoon's...
.
Wile we know such dreams are true.
The poem goes on to declare that death is not the enemy and that better men will replace them on the battlefield. It ends with:
Oh, Death was never enemy of ours!
We laughed at him, we leagued with him, old chum.
No soldier's paid to kick against his powers.
We laughed, knowing that better men would come,
And greater wars; when each proud fighter brags
He wars on Death - for lives; not men - for flags.
External Links
- The complete text on Wikisource
- The Complete Poem