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Representative Poetry Online, edition 6.0, is a web anthology of 4,800 poems in English and French by over 700 poets spanning 1400 years.  more about RPO

 

 

 

 

Lest We Forget

Scott, Francis Reginald (1899 - 1985)
1The British troops at the Dardanelles
2Were blown to bits by British shells.
3    Sold to the Turks by Vickers.
4And many a brave Canadian youth
5Will shed his blood on foreign shores,
6And die for Democracy, Freedom, Truth,
7With his body full of Canadian ores,
8Canadian nickel, lead, and scrap,
9Sold to the German, sold to the Jap,
10    With Capital watching the tickers.

Notes

1] Dardanelles: a long narrow strait separating the European Balkans from Asia along the Gallipoli peninsula. British and Commonwealth troops in World War I attempted to clear the strait but were defeated and forced to abandon their attempt by the Turks. Back to Line
3] Vickers: English marine equipment and munitions manufacturer. Back to Line
10] tickers: stock tickers that issued continuous paper strip printing abbreviated company names, stock transaction prices, and a record of the number of stocks sold and purchased. Back to Line
 What thou lovest well remains,
                  the rest is dross
What thou lov'st well shall not be reft from thee
What thou lov'st well is thy true heritage
Whose world, or mine or theirs
                or is it of none?
First came the seen, then thus the palpable
    Elysium, though it were in the halls of hell,
What thou lovest well is thy true heritage
What thou lov'st well shall not be reft from thee
Ezra Pound Pisan Cantos, LXXXI
Maps