Contents

George Herbert Clarke, ed. (1873–1953). A Treasury of War Poetry. 1917.

F. W. Bourdillon

The Debt Unpayable

WHAT have I given,

Bold sailor on the sea,

In earth or heaven,

That you should die for me?

What can I give,

O soldier, leal and brave,

Long as I live,

To pay the life you gave?

What tithe or part

Can I return to thee,

O stricken heart,

That thou shouldst break for me?

The wind of Death

For you has slain life’s flowers,

It withereth

(God grant) all weeds in ours.