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Article: "I sing of arms and the man." (the ghosts of war).(adapted from War, Literature, and the Arts: An International Journal of the Humanities)(Cover Story)
- Article from:
- The Humanist
- Article date:
- November 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 American Humanist Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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It's easy to forget (and always sad to reflect) that male poets have traditionally been shills for the warriors: Homer marveling at Achilles' butchery; Vergil celebrating Aeneas (Arma virumque cano ...); Chaucer admiring his "verray parfit gentil knight"; Shakespeare's Henry V come to glory in an aggressive foreign war; Lovelace going off to battle singing, "I could not love thee, dear, so much,/Loved I not honour more"; Milton's heavenly heroes blasting the serried ranks of fallen angels with thunder, lightning, and sulphurous hail....
And so on, right down to A. E. Housman's penning--far too late in history to be credible--
I did not lose my heart ...