The General

Siegfried Sassoon 1886 (Matfield) – 1967 (Heytesbury)



‘Good-morning; good-morning!’ the General said
When we met him last week on our way to the line.
Now the soldiers he smiled at are most of ’em dead,
And we’re cursing his staff for incompetent swine.
‘He’s a cheery old card,’ grunted Harry to Jack
As they slogged up to Arras with rifle and pack.

. . . .
But he did for them both by his plan of attack.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

21 sec read
249

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCC C
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 372
Words 70
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 6, 2

Siegfried Sassoon

Siegfried Loraine Sassoon, CBE, MC was an eminent English poet, writer, 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 view, were responsible for a jingoism-fuelled war. He later won acclaim for his prose work, notably his three-volume fictionalised autobiography, collectively known as the "Sherston trilogy". more…

All Siegfried Sassoon poems | Siegfried Sassoon Books

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1 Comment
  • MMCCENG77
    Sassoon very nicely captures the cheerful optimism of the General who has planned an assault near Arras, and the black reality of how his imaginary success was shattered. Reality played its part, fueled by massed Spandaus and Krupp cannon. One German general, in the afterlude of a major attack on the Somme by the British Army, described the Tommies as 'Lions led by donkeys.' 
    LikeReply9 months ago

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"The General" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/34945/the-general>.

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