Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, PAUL, by EDWARD BLISS REED


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

PAUL, by                    
First Line: Hotel st. Sulpice - you'll not know
Last Line: "mais pourquoi pas? Quelle femme! Quelle boîte!"
Subject(s): Courage; Death; War Injuries; Valor; Bravery; Dead, The


Hôtel St. Sulpice—you'll not know
The place; it's small. Ten years ago
Paul, my stout garscon, broad of chest,
Is on his knees in feverish zest
To polish well my bed-room floor,
When sudden, through the tight-closed door,
There comes a rasping, strident call.
It louder grows: "Que fais-tu, Paul?"
"Courage," I say, "n'aie pas de peur!
La Patronne—you're afraid of her?"
"Mais oui, mais oui." She calls again.
He runs. What cowards are we men!

To-day, a letter from a trench;
The writing's bad—and worse, the French.
"Monsieur, I write to let you know
How Paul was shot three days ago.
How brave he was! It came this way:
In Noman's land four Frenchmen lay
Wounded and groaning in their pain;
We thought to bring them in again.
We sent out four brancardiers
And the Boches shot them. There they lay,
Eight groaning now (what could we do?):
'Mais vous, nos frères, Ah! tuez nous.'
And Paul, 'twas more than he could bear,
Crawled in the dark to get them there.
He knew 'twas death, but he would try.
He kissed me when he said good-bye.
He raised one man, for he was strong,
And crawling carried him along
When pouf! a sudden blaze of light,
A rocket makes a day of night,
But Paul was almost home; he reeled,
Covering his blessé like a shield.
'Another step, he's safe,' I said—
He fell within our trenches—dead.
You're too far off to understand
Ces Boches; we have them close at hand.
And so he's gone, it had to be,
But then, he died pour la Patrie."

Hôtel St. Sulpice, there once more
I see him polishing my floor;
I hear an angry voice repeat:
"Que fais-tu, Paul? Viens, donc, vite!"
He shakes his head, he looks dismayed;
I jeer at him, "What, Paul, afraid?
Don't think you're going to be shot."
"Mais pourquoi pas? quelle femme! quelle boîte!"





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