The Hand That Signed The Paper - A poem by Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas - The Hand That Signed The Paper

The hand that signed the paper felled a city;
Five sovereign fingers taxed the breath,
Doubled the globe of dead and halved a country;
These five kings did a king to death.

The mighty hand leads to a sloping shoulder,
The finger joints are cramped with chalk;
A goose's quill has put an end to murder
That put an end to talk.

The hand that signed the treaty bred a fever,
And famine grew, and locusts came;
Great is the hand the holds dominion over
Man by a scribbled name.

The five kings count the dead but do not soften
The crusted wound nor pat the brow;
A hand rules pity as a hand rules heaven;
Hands have no tears to flow.

Added: on October 28th, 2005 at 9:23 AM | Viewed: 6538 times | Comments (3)

The Hand That Signed The Paper - Comments and Information
Poet: Dylan Thomas Poem: The Hand That Signed The Paper Poem of the Day on: Jan 23 2004 Comment 3 of 3, added on February 12th, 2007 at 10:19 PM. This must be considered aming the classic anti-war poems ever. I remember reading it for the first time as an undergraduate taking a World Survey Course in literature as a Freshman at Saint Johns's University, Colegeville, Mn. It was at the height of the Viet Nam War and the anti-war movement was very strong on campus and elsewhere. The poem speaks for itself. Today, after almost four decades it is so true. The imagery of the war in Iraq,the destruction of that once fertile land and the ravages of war on its leaders and its people make Dylan Thomas' words all the more meaningful. "Hands have no tears to shed" Luther E. Smith from Bahamas Comment 2 of 3, added on December 21st, 2005 at 4:07 AM. all the hands that sign papers are wrinkled hands, very old hands, they barley hold the ben and a smile revealtheir broken teeth. they are mostly dead yasmeen from Egypt Comment 1 of 3, added on October 28th, 2005 at 9:23 AM. The poem seems easily penetrated so I just want to mention that the US Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War, Robert McNamara, quotes this poem in the documentary Fog of War. Appropriate. benn egan from United States More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, The Hand That Signed The Paper, 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 Dylan Thomas with others on the Poetry Connection poetry forum!

Poem Info
The Hand That Signed The Paper Last read: 2008-05-14 11:11:41 Poem of the Day on: Jan 23 2004 Viewed 6538 times. Added on October 28th, 2005 at 9:23 AM.

Thomas Info
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