Epitaph On An Army of Mercenaries - A poem by A.E. Housman

A.E. Housman - Epitaph On An Army of Mercenaries

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.

Added: on June 16th, 2005 at 10:42 AM | Viewed: 1194 times | Comments (3)

Epitaph On An Army of Mercenaries - Comments and Information
Poet: A.E. Housman Poem: Epitaph On An Army of Mercenaries Comment 3 of 3, added on June 7th, 2006 at 1:13 PM. Ended up carrying a copy with me for Desert Storm (1991). Helped me put up with accusations that we were fighting only for oil. Tim Clouse from United States Comment 2 of 3, added on July 25th, 2005 at 6:04 PM. EPITAPH FOR THE FLYING TIGERS These, in the days when bombs were falling, And peacetime service lacking thrills. Took up the mercenary calling, For triple pay and bonus kills. Our Tigers held the bombs suspended, Three hundred Spartans in Cathay. What allies turned from, these defended, And making history, won the day. --Jim Boone FN: With apologies to A.F. Houseman Jim Boone from United States Comment 1 of 3, added on June 16th, 2005 at 10:42 AM. Although first published in 1917 Houseman wrote the poem in 1914 shortly after the first battle of Ypres.The 'Mercenaries' in question are the regular soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force ( B.E.F) who, as profesional soldiers, had been labelled 'Mercenaries' in the German press earlier that year ( the German army was conscript). The irony of men fighting for 'money', as contrasted with conscripts seemingly happy to fight for God and Kaiser probably appealled to Houseman who was an atheist.He was also extremely impressed with the B.E.F's fighting abilities. It is labelled an 'Epitaph' as the 100,000 strong Expeditionary force were mostly either dead or wounded by the time he wrote the poem. Geoff Topliss from United Kingdom More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, Epitaph On An Army of Mercenaries, has received 3 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by A.E. Housman with others on the Poetry Connection poetry forum!

Poem Info
Epitaph On An Army of Mercenaries Last read: 2008-07-05 15:11:25 Viewed 1194 times. Added on June 16th, 2005 at 10:42 AM.

Housman Info
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