The Young Soldier

Wilfred Owen 1893 (Oswestry) – 1918 (Sambre–Oise Canal)



It is not death
Without hereafter
To one in dearth
Of life and its laughter,

Nor the sweet murder
Dealt slow and even
Unto the martyr
Smiling at heaven:

It is the smile
Faint as a (waning) myth,
Faint, and exceeding small
On a boy's murdered mouth.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 23, 2023

15 sec read
244

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXA AXAX XXXX
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 245
Words 49
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4

Wilfred Owen

Wilfred Edward Salter Owen MC was an English poet and soldier, one of the leading poets of the First World War. more…

All Wilfred Owen poems | Wilfred Owen Books

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