Felicia Hemans: Speak not of death, till thou hast looked on such

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Anti-war essays, poems, short stories and literary excerpts

British writers on peace and war

Felicia Hemans: Selections on peace and war

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Felicia Hemans
From The Siege of Valencia: A Dramatic Poem

So, thou hast seen
Fields, where the combat’s roar hath died away
Into the whispering breeze, and where wild flowers
Bloom o’er forgotten graves! – But know’st thou aught
Of those, where sword from crossing sword strikes fire,
And leaders are borne down, and rushing steeds
Trample the life from out the mighty hearts
That ruled the storm so late? – Speak not of death,
Till thou hast looked on such.