Dawn came not surprising, but later widened
To great space and a sea of many colours
With slate and pink and blue above the frightened
Mud fields soiled and heavy with War's dolours
And the guns thumped and threatened;
While the bacon frizzled, and the warm incense heightened:
Drifting in bays and dugouts slowly lightened.
Rifles cleaned - and the thought of tea cheered us boys
Who had Cotswold courage - but right love for Cotswold joys
Night lifted off Her gray memory of long dull watching;
And tea, tobacco, delights beyond night's hope matching
Filling minds hungry-empty after the night bare,
And to dodge breakfast with tea and get letters at last,
And to scrawl or read an hour, in content's happy power,
Before the day's useless, absurd danger and hardship,
That began tea, tobacco, letters - and hope showing clear.
by Ivor Gurney
(written while serving in France in WW1)
Claire - so kind of you to notice. I got up at 5.15 to see Ray off on a short break to Scotland with the ramblers. At least I am not now, like him, sitting on a coach all day to get there - it sounds horrendous! At least I got the dawn shot and have just had a sleep, lunch next!
Claire - so kind of you to notice. I got up at 5.15 to see Ray off on a short break to Scotland with the ramblers. At least I am not now, like him, sitting on a coach all day to get there - it sounds horrendous! At least I got the dawn shot and have just had a sleep, lunch next!