Page:A treasury of war poetry, British and American poems of the world war, 1914-1919.djvu/120

 VERDUN

MEN OF VERDUN

HERE are five men in the moonlight

That by their shadows stand;

Three hobble humped on crutches,

And two lack each a hand.

Frogs somewhere near the roadside

Chorus their chant absorbed:

But a hush breathes out of the dream-light

That far in heaven is orbed.

It is gentle as sleep falling

And wide as thought can span,

The ancient peace and wonder

That brims the heart of man.

Beyond the hills it shines now

On no peace but the dead,

On reek of trenches thunder-shocked,

Tense fury of wills in wrestle locked,

A chaos crumbled red!

The five men in the moonlight

Chat, joke, or gaze apart.

They talk of days and comrades,

But each one hides his heart.