Monday, May 17, 2010
An Irish Airman Foresees His Death by W. B. Yeats
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Survivors by Alan Ross
The Enemy by Bettina Wegner (translated from German by Agnes Stein)
Epigram
Warriors were horsemen, glimmering on parade.
Glory their object, bravery’d soon fade.
As epigrams are only two lines, they don't require titles. The object of this poem is to show scorn for the warriors of old, who, as the poem indicates, were often much more concerned with the glory and praise they received than with actual fighting. In my opinion, war was very much romanticized in the days of knights and swords and the warriors of that day saw nothing compared to the soldiers of modern wars. Back in that time, being a warrior was a great thing that many aspired to, whereas during real wars in this age, few people are eager to enter battle. A bit of imagery is used in "glimmering on parade", which attempts to illustrate the life of a knight as being very glorified.
One by Metallica
Can't tell if this is true or dream
Deep down inside I feel the scream
This terrible silence stops it there
Now that the war is through with me
I'm waking up, I cannot see
That there's not much left of me
Nothing is real but pain now
Hold my breath as I wish for death
Oh please god, help me
Back in the womb it's much too real
In pumps life that I must feel
But can't look forward to reveal
Look to the time when I'll live
Fed through the tube that sticks in me
Just like a wartime novelty
Tied to machines that make me be
Cut this life off from me
Hold my breath as I wish for death
Oh please god, wake me
Now the world is gone I'm just one
Oh god, help me
Hold my breath as I wish for death
Oh please god, help me
Darkness imprisoning me
All that I see
Absolute horror
I cannot live
I cannot die
Trapped in myself
Body my holding cell
Landmine has taken my sight
Taken my speech
Taken my hearing
Taken my arms
Taken my legs
Taken my soul
Left me with life in hell