Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries

[osprey_archer]

In the days of yore, I used to post poems occasionally, and I think I ought to do it again, at least occasionally. Everyone’s day is better for a little poetry in it, right?

Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries
By A. E. Housman

These, in the day when heaven was falling,
The hour when earth's foundations fled,
Followed their mercenary calling,
And took their wages, and are dead.

Their shoulders held the sky suspended;
They stood, and earth's foundations stay;
What God abandoned, these defended,
And saved the sum of things for pay.

Comments

[asakiyume]

Wow, that's great, and it does what poetry does so well--says so much so concisely and powerfully.

[anelith]

You're right, a little poetry makes the day better. Thank you, that one is definitely worth reading.

[missroserose]

ooo. I do like a little poetry now and then. Especially as a social experience—I find it much more rewarding with discussion.

I'm not sure this evokes emotion in me, Wordsworth-style, but I do like the ambiguous tone. It could be read as a cynical witticism of sorts, something an educated fop at a Regency-era ball might improvise for general laughter. It especially reads that way if you emphasize the last line, and specifically the last two words. But I could also see it read in a tone more...not "admiring", precisely but maybe "acknowledging". As an effort to see the subject clearly, both their faults and their flaws. Or perhaps it is an expression of admiration, that their loyalty to their contract was stronger than the supposedly-stronger-and-more-noble bond of loyalty to one's country.

[brigdh]

Oh, I like this a lot. Thank you for sharing it!

[ms_minerva]

Thanks for sharing! I know you're getting into Classics, so if you like AE Houseman I recommend The Invention of Love by Tom Stoppard! The play is about AE Houseman's life and is chockfull of classical allusion and in-jokes. It's also a gay coming-of-age story, which I adore.