V (Once there came a man) BY STEPHEN CRANE
The 19th-century American poet’s free-verse parable about a nonsensical war reminds us that conflict rouses desire as powerfully as love.
Once there came a man, is the fifth in Black Riders and Other Lines, the first of Crane’s two collections.
Once there came a man
Who said:
“Range me all men of the world in rows.”
And instantly
There was a terrific clamor among the people
Against being ranged in rows.
There was a loud quarrel, world-wide.
It endured for ages;
And blood was shed
By those who would not stand in rows,
And by those who pined to stand in rows.
Eventually, the man went to death, weeping.
And those who stayed in the bloody scuffle
Knew not the great simplicity.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave your message here.