The World War One Poets wrote about the war and its impact on society, and their works are considered some of the most poignant and affecting pieces of literature from the time period. Some poets glorified the cause patriotically, while others infused their work with the gruesome realities of war to strip modern war of its old-fashioned glory. There are numerous poets in this group. For the sake of brevity, this post will concentrate on these five;
- Rupert Brooke
- Wilfred Owen
- Rudyard Kipling
- Isaac Rosenberg
- John McCrae
Two of these poets died in action in World War One. Two died due to illness while a soldier in World War One. One poet out of the five survived the war.
The poetry of the World War I poets is significant because it provides a powerful and emotional record of the experiences of soldiers and civilians during the war. The poems capture the horror, brutality, and futility of the war, as well as the courage, sacrifice, and camaraderie of those who fought and died. The poetry of the World War I poets also marked a significant shift in the way war was viewed and portrayed in literature. Before World War I, war was often romanticized and glorified in literature, but the poetry of the World War I poets challenged this view and presented a more realistic and critical perspective on war. The poetry of the World War I poets, including Wilfred Owen, John McCrae, Rupert Brooke, and Isaac Rosenberg, has had a lasting impact on literature and continues to be studied and celebrated today.
Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) was an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War, especially “The Soldier.” The poem is a patriotic sonnet that glorifies the sacrifice of the soldiers who died in World War One. Some of his other titles include “The Dead,” “Peace,” “Safety,” “Dawn,” “Clouds,” “A Channel Passage,” and my personal favorite “Blue Evening.”
In 1911 his Poems were published. He spent a year (1913–14) wandering in the United States, Canada, and the South Seas. With the outbreak of World War I, he received a commission in the Royal Navy. After taking part in a disastrous expedition to Antwerp that ended in a harrowing retreat, he sailed for the Dardanelles, which he never reached. He died on April 23, 1915 of septicemia on a hospital ship off the Greek island of Skyros and was buried in an olive grove on that island.
Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) was an English poet and soldier who is widely regarded as one of Britain’s greatest war poets. Owen’s poetry often graphically illustrated the horrors of warfare, the physical landscapes that surrounded him, and the human body in relation to those landscape. Some of his most famous works include “Anthem for Doomed Youth” and “Dulce et Decorum Est.” Owen was killed in action on November 4, 1918, just one week before the Armistice was signed to end the war. While few of Owen’s poems appeared in print during his lifetime, he has since become one of the most admired poets of World War One.
Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was older and did not serve in the war. He wrote in the voice of a survivor, civilian, and parent. His son, John Kipling (August 1897 – September 1915) died in the Battle of Loos. He wrote hundreds of poems throughout his career, including “If—,” “The Gods of the Copybook Headings,” “Recessional,” “Gunga Din,” “Mesopotamia,” “The City of Sleep,” “Blue Roses,” “The Glory of the Garden,” “The Ballad of East and West,” “The Bell Buoy,” “A Dead Statesman,” “A Dedication,” “A Song in Storm,” and “The White Man’s Burden.” He died of a perforated ulcer in his small intestine on January 18th, 1936 in London, England. He was 70.
Isaac Rosenberg (1890 – 1918) was a British poet who served in the military during World War One. Some of the titles of his poems include “Break of Day in the Trenches,” “Dead Man’s Dump,” “God,” “In the Trenches,” and “Louse Hunting.” He was killed in action on April 1, 1918, in Fampoux, Pas-de-Calais, France. His poems, along with others, were published in a collection edited by his friend Laurence Binyon and published in 1922. His Poems from the Trenches are recognized as some of the most outstanding poetry written during the First World War.
John McCrae (1872-1918) was a Canadian physician, author, artist, and soldier during World War One. He served as a surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium. He is best known for writing the famous war memorial poem “In Flanders Fields.” McCrae wrote “In Flanders Fields” in 1915 as a memorial to those who died in the war. McCrae died on January 28, 1918, of pneumonia and meningitis.
In conclusion, through the eyes and emotions of the World War One poets the tragedy of war is apparent. No one truly benefits from war. It is a necessary evil at times, but the collateral damage is great and the grief endures for decades to come.