Devotion to Duty
Siegfried Sassoon 1886 (Matfield) – 1967 (Heytesbury)
I was near the King that day. I saw him snatch
And briskly scan the G.H.Q. dispatch.
Thick-voiced, he read it out. (His face was grave.)
‘This officer advanced with the first wave,
‘And when our first objective had been gained,
‘(Though wounded twice), reorganized the line:
‘The spirit of the troops was by his fine
‘Example most effectively sustained.’
He gripped his beard; then closed his eyes and said,
‘Bathsheba must be warned that he is dead.
‘Send for her. I will be the first to tell
‘This wife how her heroic husband fell.’
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 26, 2023
- 30 sec read
- 136 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AABB CDDC EEFF |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 560 |
Words | 102 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4 |
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