Uriconium: an Ode
July 6, 2023The Wrestlers
July 6, 2023
The Young Soldier
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.
Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) was an English poet and soldier who is considered one of the most important voices of the First World War. Owen's poetry often dealt with the horrors of war and the suffering of soldiers, and his most famous works include "Dulce et Decorum Est" and "Anthem for Doomed Youth." Owen was killed in action just one week before the end of the war.