Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE MAGPIES IN PICARDY, by T. P. CAMERON WILSON Poet's Biography First Line: The magpies in picardy / are more than I can tell Last Line: He flies as poets might.) Alternate Author Name(s): Tipuca; Wilson, Tony P. Cameron Subject(s): Birds; Soldiers' Writings; World War I; First World War | ||||||||
The magpies in Picardy Are more than I can tell. They flicker down the dusty roads And cast a magic spell On the men who march through Picardy, Through Picardy to Hell. (The blackbird flies with panic, The swallow goes like light, The finches move like ladies, The owl floats by at night; But the great and flashing magpie He flies as artists might.) A magpie in Picardy Told me secret things Of the music in white feathers, And the sunlight that sings And dances in deep shadows He told me with his wings. (The hawk is cruel and rigid, He watches from a height; The rook is slow and sombre, The robin loves to fight; But the great and flashing magpie He flies as lovers might.) He told me that in Picardy, An age ago or more, While all his fathers still were eggs, These dusty highways bore Brown singing soldiers marching out Through Picardy to war. He said that still through chaos Works on the ancient plan, And things have altered not Since first the world began The beauty of the wild green earth And the bravery of man. (For the sparrow flies unthinking And quarrels in his flight; The heron trails his legs behind, The lark goes out of sight; But the great and flashing magpie He flies as poets might.) | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...D'ANNUNZIO by ERNEST HEMINGWAY 1915: THE TRENCHES by CONRAD AIKEN TO OUR PRESIDENT by KATHARINE LEE BATES THE HORSES by KATHARINE LEE BATES CHILDREN OF THE WAR by KATHARINE LEE BATES THE U-BOAT CREWS by KATHARINE LEE BATES THE RED CROSS NURSE by KATHARINE LEE BATES WAR PROFITS by KATHARINE LEE BATES THE UNCHANGEABLE by EDMUND CHARLES BLUNDEN |
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