Siegfried Sassoon (1886โ1967) was one of the leading British poets of the 20th century, one of the famous โwar poetsโ and a decorated World War 1 veteran. His sobering wartime verses, stripped of patriotic illusions, exposed the horrors and brutality of war, countering the prevailing narratives of the time.
You might not immediately associate the poem presented here with war, but it helps to have some context. Sassoon originally wrote it in his poetry notebook in February 1918, while the WW1 was still ongoing. Unlike most of his war poems, the verses of this one have a calming and reassuring effect, leaning on lovely pastoral imagery. But thereโs also a lingering sense of loss and sorrow throughout โ subtle yet deep and unsettling.
While not dedicated to anyone in particular, one might easily see it as referring to a close friend โ or, rather, to the hope of a reunion with the unnamed fallen comrade, in the great and idyllic hereafter. At this point, it might also be helpful to note that Sassoon was a deeply spiritual man, not always in a conventional sense. Many of his poems, even the early ones, contain recognisably Christian themes, as seen here.
In the grey summer garden I shall find you
With day-break and the morning hills behind you.
There will be rain-wet roses; stir of wings;
And down the wood a thrush that wakes and sings.
Not from the past you'll come, but from that deep
Where beauty murmurs to the soul asleep:
And I shall know the sense of life re-born
From dreams into the mystery of morn
Where gloom and brightness meet. And standing there
Till that calm song is done, at last we'll share
The league-spread, quiring symphonies that are
Joy in the world, and peace, and dawnโs one star.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Siegfried Sassoon (an Encyclopedia Britannica entry)
Intro to WW1 Poetry: Siegfried Sassoon
Rediscovering Siegfried Sassoon by Brooke Allen
Siegfried Sassoon: The reluctant hero by Michael Morpurgo
NOTES
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COVER PHOTO CREDIT
Image by Alicia Christin Gerald via Unsplash.
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