In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
“In Flanders Fields”, by John McCrae (1872-1918), was the very first poem I learned by heart as a child; to this day, thinking of its lines always brings tears to my eyes. In Canada, because of this poem, the poppy has long been a symbol of remembrance.
In Rilla of Ingleside, L.M. Montgomery pays tribute to “In Flanders Fields”; Anne and Gilbert’s son, Walter Blythe, goes to war and writes a poem, “The Piper”, which becomes famous all across Canada, in much the same way “In Flanders Fields” did.
Rilla of Ingleside is, perhaps, one of Montgomery’s most bittersweet novels, and it’s one I’ve reread many times. Anne of Green Gables fans who have never read Rilla should be aware – it’s a tearjerker. It also gives the reader a glimpse of what life was like for the average Canadian on the home front during the First World War.
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That was one of the first I learned too, and I still love it!
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That second verse always gives me shivers and tears, Jill.
That poem gives me chills every time. I love “Rilla of Ingleside”! It’s so different from her Anne books yet a wonderful glimpse of the time period and what things must have been like on the home front. Great post!
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Oh, I haven’t thought of this poem in ages! And poppies represent vets and fallen soldiers in the U.S., too. Vets sell them to raise money.
It’s such a beautiful poem – the kids love it at school as well. Powerful stuff. I loved all of Lucy Maud’s books as a kid – haven’t reread Rilla in a while. I’ll have to get on that – after nano
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This is not the first poem I learned, but I really enjoyed it. Thank you for posting it.
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