english poetry quotes

into the valley/jaws of death (COTLB)

into the valley/jaws of death

when can their glory fade? (COTLB)

when can their glory fade?

cannon to right/left/in front/ of/ behind them’ (COTLB)

cannon to the right/left/in front of/behind them

flashed all their sabres bare (COTLB)

flashed all their sabres bare

storm’d at with shot and shell (COTLB)

storm’d at with shot and shell

theirs but to do and die (COTLB)

theirs but to do and die

Lord Raglan sends order for soldiers to stop Russians taking heavy guns but miscommunication causes them to go to the wrong place

Lord Raglan sends order for soldiers to stop Russians taking heavy guns but miscommunication causes them to go to the wrong place

‘sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence’(exposure)(less deadly than the air…)

sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence

‘silent’ ‘salient’ (exposure)

silent, salient

flakes with fingering stealth come feeling for our faces (exposure)

flakes with fingering stealth come feeling for our faces

wind ‘like twitching agonies of men’ (exposure)

‘like twitching agonies of men’

‘flickering gunnery rumbles, far off, like a dull rumour’ (exposure)

'flickering gunnery rumbles, far off, like a dull rumour’

but nothing happens (exposure)

but nothing happens (exposure)

‘our ghosts drag home’ (exposure)

our ghosts drag home

Wilfred Owen was in the army, hospitalised May 1917

Wilfred Owen was in the army, hospitalised May 1917

‘suddenly he awoke’(Bayonet charge)

suddenly he awoke

bullets smacking the belly out of the air- (bc)

bullets smacking the belly out of the air

lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm (bc)

lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm

‘patriotic tear that had brimmed in his eye sweating like molten iron’ (Bc)

patriotic tear that had brimmed in his eye sweating like molten iron’

‘in what cold clockwork of the stars and nations’ (BC)

‘in what cold clockwork of the stars and nations’

‘like a man who has jumped up in the dark’ (bc)

‘like a man who has jumped up in the dark’

‘yellow-hare that rolled like a flame’ (Bc)

‘yellow hare that rolled like a flame’

‘terror’s touchy dynamite’ (Bc)

‘terror’s touchy dynamite’ (Bc)

Ted Hughes’ father told him WW1 stories-survived his regiment’s massacre at Gallipoli

Ted Hughes’ father told him WW1 stories-survived his regiment’s massacre at Gallipoli

‘legs it up the road’ (remains)

‘legs it up the road’

‘all of the same mind’ (remains)

all of the same mind

rips through his life (remains)

rips through his life

sort of inside out (remains)

sort of inside out

pain itself, the image of agony (remains)

pain itself, the image of agony

blood shadow (remains)

blood shadow

‘sleep’ ‘dream’ (remains)

sleep, dream

‘the drink and the drugs won’t flush him out’ (remains)

‘the drink and the drugs won’t flush him out

‘his bloody life in my bloody hands’ (remains)

‘his bloody life in my bloody hands’

Armitage made a film called ‘The Not Dead’ and in preparation interviewed veteran soldiers of different wars

Armitage made a film called ‘The Not Dead’ and in preparation interviewed veteran soldiers of different wars

‘spasm of paper red’ (poppies)

spasms of paper red

‘my words flattened, rolled, turned into felt’ (poppies)

my words flattened, rolled, turned into felt

leaned against it(war memorial) like a wishbone (poppies)

leaned against it like a wishbone

you were away, intoxicated’ (poppies)

‘you were away, intoxicated’

‘sellotape bandages around my hand’ (poppies)

sellotape bandaged around my hand

‘wanted to graze my nose across the tip of your nose’ (poppies)

‘wanted to graze my nose’

‘released like a song bird from its cage’ (poppies)

released like a song bird from its cage

‘world overflowing (enjambment) like a treasure chest’ (poppies)

world overflowing like a treasure chest

Weir felt the poem ‘addresses the female experience’ and was a '‘consciously political act’

Weir felt the poem ‘addresses the female experience’ and was a '‘consciously political act’

‘spools of suffering’ (war photographer)

‘spools of suffering’

flesh is grass' (wp)

flesh is grass

half formed ghost (wp)

half formed ghost

hundred agonies in black and white (wp)

hundred agonies in black and white

eyeballs prick with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers (wp)

eyeballs prick with tears between the bath and pre lunch beers

they do not care (wp)

they do not care

blood stained into foreign dust (wp)

blood stained into foreign dust

Carol Ann Duffy’s friends were war photographers

Carol Ann Duffy’s friends were war photographers

‘shaven head full of incantations’ (kamikaze)

shaven head full of incantations

little fishing boats strung out like bunting (kamikaze)

little fishing boats strung out like bunting

arcing in swathes like a huge flag (kamikaze)

arcing in swathes like a huge flag

‘dark shoals of fishes flashing silver’ (kamikaze)

dark shoals of fishes flashing silver

‘-yes, grandather’s boat-’ (kamikaze)

‘grandfather’s boat’

as though he no longer existed (kamikaze)

as though he no longer existed

he must have wondered which had been the better way to die (kamikaze)

which had been the better way to die

Garland’s knowledge of the suicide attempts by Japanese pilots against allied ships in the closing stages of WW2-1000 pilots died

Garland’s knowledge of the suicide attempts by Japanese pilots against allied ships in the closing stages of WW2-1000 pilots died

‘sunlight clear’ (emigree)

sunlight clear

bright, filled paperweight (emigree)

bright, filled paperweight

sick with tyrants (emigree)

sick with tyrants

as time rolls its tanks (emigree)

time rolls its tanks

frontiers rise between us, close like waves (emigree)

frontiers rise between us, close like waves

shining eyes(emigree)

shining eyes

my city takes me dancing (emigree)

my city takes me dancing

city of walls (emigree)

city of walls

they mutter death (emigree)

they mutter death

‘paper that lets light shine through’ (tissue)

paper that lets light shine through

could alter things (tissue)

could alter things

sepia date (tissue)

sepia date

transparent with attention(tissue)

transparent with attention

fly our lives like kites(tissue)

fly our lives like kites

raise a structure never meant to last (tissue)

raise a structure never meant to last

‘paper smoothed and stroked and thinned(…) turned into your skin’ (tissue)

papers smoothed and stroked and thinned(…) turned into your skin

‘sun shines through their borderlines’(tissue)

sun shines through their bordelines

Dharker was born in Pakistan and grew up in Scotland

Dharker was born in Pakistan and grew up in Scotland

‘we are prepared’(sonti)

we are prepared

‘wizened earth’(sonti)

wizened earth

fear ‘pummels your house’(sonti)

pummels your house

sea ‘exploding’(sonti)

exploding

‘flung spray hits’ ‘spits like a tame cat turned savage’(sonti)

spits like a tame cat turned savage

‘we just sit tight while wind dives and strafes invisibly’ (sonti)

wind dives and strafes invisibly

bombarded by the empty air (sonti)

bombarded by the empty air

Heaney was a Catholic in Northern Ireland-faced discrimination and persecution from government and police

Heaney was a Catholic in Northern Ireland-faced discrimination and persecution from government and police

horizon’s utmost boundary (prelude)

horizons utmost boundary

‘silent lake’ ‘silent water’ (prelude)

silent lake, silent water

‘voluntary power instinct’-mountain (prelude)

voluntary power instinct

‘grim’ ‘huge’(repeated) (prelude)

grim, huge

‘glittering idly’ ‘sparkling light’ (prelude)

glittering idly, sparkling light

‘upreared its head’-mountain '(prelude)

upreared its head

hung like a darkness (prelude)

hung like a darkness

towered (…) with a purpose of its own (prelude)

towered (…) with a purpose of its own

Wordsworth wrote prelude as autobiographical

Wordsworth wrote prelude as autobiographical

a shattered visage (osymadias)

shattered visage

sneer of cold command (osy)

sneer of cold command

the hand that mocked and the heart that fed (osy)

hand that mocked and the heart that fed

king of kings(osy)

king of kings

look on my work (..) and despair! (osy)

look on my work (…) and despair

‘decay if that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, the lone and level sands’ (osy)

‘decay if that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, the lone and level sands’ (osy)