lens

www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=583373

Sailing For Flanders by Charles John Beech Masefield

To need any more the skies or man to importune
For us departing to-day with spirits at peace,
Now that the inner warfares, that tire men, cease
For us the chosen of God's lot, the spoilt darlings of Fortune.

Against the beasts in men let loose from their cages
We go forth with a lightened and proud heart,
We who are the men summoned to a high part,
To be known of the envious youth of unborn ages.

We have feared old Death, but now have we learned our error,
Seeing him there in the mire us so kindly await
A comrade befitting the hour of a world's fate,
And we look him full in the eyes ; we are rid of our last terror.

True that Death is an ill, but the worse ills are many;
Shame and slow rotting, cold and greasy years,
Pride in dishonour these things hold our fears;
We can play pitch and toss with our lives as a boy with a penny.

We have spent ourselves to win us a lady's favour,
But now the spending is grown to a leaping fire,
And winning for ourselves seems but a strange desire;
Her eyes -are remote as stars ; her kisses have lost their savour.

We have put life away and spurn the ways of the living;
We have broken with the old selves who gathered and got,
And are free with the freedom of men who have not;
We partake the heroic fervours of giving and again giving.

Was it only for Death we were borne of our Mothers?
Only for Death created the dear love of our wives?
Only for Death and in vain we endeavoured our lives?
Yea, life was given to be given ; March onward, my brothers!

Cousin of the poet John Masefield. For more details of his life and poems see A. St John Adcock 'For Remembrance: Soldier Poets who have fallen in the War' [Hodder & Stoughton 1918] p.5 and pp.129-136

Thank you for the poem and the reference.

Captain Charles John Beech Masefield was my great-uncle and namesake.

I was born in 1959 on the anniversary of his death (July 2, 1917) and was given a book of his poems, which was printed in 1919.

I still possess the book, and the foreword, also written by a A. St. John Adcock, has a great deal of biographical information which complements the entry listed above.

That camera is going on my Amazon wishlist right now.

Everybody needs a volkswagen-sized camera. This is brilliant.

Wonderful image. I'm so glad the LOC is up here. This is going to be a heck of a lot of fun!

This is amazing.

To carry that camera around all day.... Makes me glad we have digital cameras now.

Loving these retro images of late - they're from a time when the world saw massive changes.

Thanks, Paul. I'm glad you're enjoying them. There are still a few to come next week.