"Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen (poetry reading)

This is the most famous poem of the First World War. "Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori" means "It's sweet and fitting to die for one's country" In latin, the word patria means native land, hence patriotism. Patria sounds like pater, meaning father.

"Five nines" were German 5.9 inch artillery shells which made a hooting noise as they passed through the air.
"Outstripped" meant that the shells hadn't got enough range to reach the withdrawing troops. If you win a race you outstrip other runners.

The gas was chlorine which is green and heavy. Soldiers choose to follow low ground or dug trenches to shield them from gunfire and shrapnel. But the chlorine fills hollows, destroying the lungs of soldiers and choking them to death. The gas was more concentrated near the ground, getting to higher level could save them. Within the lungs chlorine makes corrosive hydrochloric acid. There was no treatment, nothing could be done to save their lives.

Chlorine smells like household bleach which works by oxidising organic matter. Oddly enough ordinary table salt is a compound of chlorine gas and sodium metal, which is unstable soft and silvery and it burns violently on contact with water: sodium chloride. Two dangerous elements make salt which is relatively harmless - the sea's full of it.

Dilute "chlorine water" was one of the first disinfectants, surgeons washed their hands in it. Chlorine is used to disinfect swimming pools, but the strong characteristic smell of public pools isn't chlorine, it's a compound made when chlorine combines with urine, so don't piss in the pool, kids.

The Germans first used chlorine in April 1915 and about three months later the troops were issued with respirators. Before that they had used pads soaked with stale urine because the ammonia counteracted chlorine. Later a mixture of chlorine and phosgene was used because it disabled soldiers immediately. Later still there was mustard gas, a liquid and even one drop on the skin would inflict horrible injury.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison_gas_in_World_War_I

In Latin Dulce would have been pronounced with a hard c - dool-key. In Italian it's Doll-chay. The pronunciation I use is the anglicised Dull-sea, like the girl's name Dulcie, because that's what's in current use. Language is a living thing and there's no point in clinging to anacronisms.

"Gassed" was painted by John Singer Sargent in 1918 and it's in the Imperial War Museum in London.

The "friend" he was addressing was Jessie Pope, who wrote this:

Whos for the game, the biggest thats played,
The red crashing game of a fight?
Wholl grip and tackle the job unafraid?
And who thinks hed rather sit tight?
Wholl toe the line for the signal to Go!?
Wholl give his country a hand?
Who wants a turn to himself in the show?
And who wants a seat in the stand?
Who knows it wont be a picnic not much-
Yet eagerly shoulders a gun?
Who would much rather come back with a crutch
Than lie low and be out of the fun?
Come along, lads
But youll come on all right
For theres only one course to pursue,
Your country is up to her neck in a fight,
And shes looking and calling for you.

Here's an excellent reading by a young man who sounds like Wilfred Owen might have sounded, a disillusioned and angry young officer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRPhMnUW1zs

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• Decorum
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• Owen

[cocklesandmussels]

Thanks for posting. The men who sent young soldiers to die like this should have been taken out and shot.

[SpokenVerse]

Rudyard Kipling was a war campaigner. He pulled strings get his son John into the Irish Guard, even though he was under age. John was killed at the Battle of Loos. Kipling was stricken with grief and he had a complete change of heart. After the war he wrote,

"If any question why we died,

Tell them, because our fathers lied."

[rachi6]

best war poem i´ve ever read

[TheMrbacon101]

I dislike the dislike bar

[driftingbosco]

How does this have any dislikes at all?

[stokcitytillidie]

War will always be a neccesitie however much we all hate it it is going to be around as long as the human race so all we can do is respect those who die and those that live and keep the memories of all the horrors of things like flanders fields or the battle of arnon eich both affected people i know

There name liveth forevermore

Lest we forget

[mistacramer]

@tessywoo123

The OLD lie.

[SherbertFactory]

this basically means its not right or sweet to die for you country

this man is a hero all soldiers are i feel so sorry for soldiers for what they see remember and give respect to them remember rememberance day

[tessywoo123]

this is one of those poems that can send the pain of thousands through you. it makes you feel like you are there and you cant deny it. wilfred owens words could move mountains and brg ears to eyes.

dulce et decorum est pro patria mori- a lie

[dror91]

Very strong poem. Highly acclaimed.

The sad thing is that no matter how much we may dispise war and do all within our powers to try to prevent it, preach against it, and even have old veterans tell younger generations the horrors of war and how they now (after having been through war) see war as a waste of human life, as a tragic and often stupid action, I think we all must face the fact that there will always be wars so long as we are around. There will never be a war- free human world, sadly.

[mistacramer]

Thank you for this very important poem and the commentary on the homographs' different pronunciations as well.

[DemeterEuropa]

I have never really considered myself a fan of poems. But every now and then I always find myself comming back to this one.