I have been young, and now am not too old;
And I have seen the righteous forsaken,
His health, his honour and his quality taken.
This is not what we were formerly told.
I have seen a green country, useful to the race,
Knocked silly with guns and mines, its villages vanished,
Even the last rat and the last kestrel banished –
God bless us all, this was peculiar grace.
I knew Seraphina; Nature gave her hue,
Glance, sympathy, note, like one from Eden.
I saw her smile warp, heard her lyric deaden;
She turned to harlotry; – this I took to be new.
Say what you will, our God sees how they run.
These disillusionments are His curious proving
That He loves humanity and will go on loving;
Over there are faith, life, virtue in the sun.
(Edmund Blunden)
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Based on Topics: Life Poems, Nature Poems, Youth Poems, Belief & Faith Poems, Running Poems, Countries Poems, Vice & Virtue Poems, Health PoemsBased on Keywords: formerly, deaden, kestrel, harlotry, disillusionments, seraphina