The Anxious Dead Poem by John McCrae

The Anxious Dead

Rating: 3.6


O guns, fall silent till the dead men hear
Above their heads the legions pressing on:
(These fought their fight in time of bitter fear,
And died not knowing how the day had gone.)

O flashing muzzles, pause, and let them see
The coming dawn that streaks the sky afar;
Then let your mighty chorus witness be
To them, and Caesar, that we still make war.

Tell them, O guns, that we have heard their call,
That we have sworn, and will not turn aside,
That we will onward till we win or fall,
That we will keep the faith for which they died.

Bid them be patient, and some day, anon,
They shall feel earth enwrapt in silence deep;
Shall greet, in wonderment, the quiet dawn,
And in content may turn them to their sleep.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Neil Barry Haughey 12 November 2006

Extemely moving. Falls just short of 'In Flanders Fields'.

8 2 Reply
Bella and Tamika 12 April 2018

That poem is lovely

1 0 Reply
Aftab Alam Khursheed 27 February 2015

We must adopt and feel the cruelty we must not use guns to kill the innocent

3 3 Reply
Pranab K Chakraborty 27 February 2015

Bid them be patient, and some day, anon, They shall feel earth enwrapt in silence deep; ... Beautiful expression to expose the tragedy of human civilization. Skilled craft indeed.

2 2 Reply
Kim Barney 27 February 2015

The poet died around the time of WW One. I wonder if that was the war he was writing about or an earlier one? Well written. I enjoyed reading this one.

2 3 Reply
Julie Miner 01 November 2007

Great poem. Having met a soilder who had seen heavy battle in Iraque it accuratly expresses thoughts they may have

7 3 Reply
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John McCrae

John McCrae

Guelph, Ontario
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