I grant you: peace is desirable. War being, in a figure, its antithesis is wholly detestable to the lover of peace. But there are lovers and lovers. It is stupid to advocate peace in order to have me work in a factory or a field or a mine or a quarry or a forest or on the sea or at a desk or on the ice or at the sea's bottom -- unless I please to do these things. To substitute for me a lesser war for another greater is the hollowest mockery - - to substitute war with fire by war with mud is vilest deception. Either I must have war or none. Peace is noble only when it sends me out a tramp -- my peace made with the world -- a lily of the field if you will. But who is there that advocates peace? I have seen no true apostles. I have read of few. And it is notable that these do not form societies -- Tolstoi to the contrary. Peace requires genius to be preached. It is a rare high thing -- it is not subsidized -- it also has its courage. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE [EXCELLENT] BALLADE OF CHARITIE by THOMAS CHATTERTON NOVEMBER BLUE by ALICE MEYNELL ODE TO LUDLOW CASTLE by LUCY AIKEN PEARLS OF THE FAITH: 7. AL-MAUMIN by EDWIN ARNOLD THE SECRET OF THE BEES by LOUISA SARAH BEVINGTON REDFIELD FARM, MICHIGAN by HERBERT BUCKLEN BRADY THE HILL-BORN by MAXWELL STRUTHERS BURT OBSERVATIONS IN THE ART OF ENGLISH POESY: 8. TROCHAIC VERSE: THE FOURTH EPIGRAM by THOMAS CAMPION |