Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind - A poem by Stephen Crane

Stephen Crane - Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind

Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind.
Because the lover threw wild hands toward the sky
And the affrighted steed ran on alone,
Do not weep.
War is kind.

Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment,
Little souls who thirst for fight,
These men were born to drill and die.
The unexplained glory flies above them,
Great is the Battle-God, great, and his Kingdom -
A field wher a thousand corpses lie.

Do not weep, babe, for war is kind.
Because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches,
Raged at his breast, gulped and died,
Do not weep.
War is kind.

Swift blazing flag of the regiment,
Eagle with crest of red and gold,
These men were born to drill and die.
Point for them the virtue of slaughter,
Make plain to them the excellence of killing
And a field where a thousand corpses lie.

Mother whose heart hung humble as a button
On the bright splendid shroud of your son,
Do not weep.
War is kind.

Added: on November 7th, 2009 at 5:19 PM | Viewed: 39142 times | Comments and analysis of Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind by Stephen Crane Comments (37)

Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind - Comments and Information
Poet: Stephen Crane (Stephen Crane Art) Poem: 1. Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind Volume: War is Kind & Other Lines Year: Published/Written in 1899 Comment 37 of 37, added on December 4th, 2009 at 12:42 AM. JEEZ... Come on dude...the comment below... Stephen Crane's tone is sarcasm duh... he does a great job describing how inglorious war really is by his sarcastic tone... come on be intelligent...just read the poem over to see what I mean... Drake from United States Comment 36 of 37, added on November 17th, 2009 at 2:12 PM. crane really does a poor job of showing his feelings toward war. he says "do not weep, war is kind", its telling the daughter dont cry, because losing a family member or 2, or 3 is natural in war. but then reading the rest of the poem strickly says war is tragic, frightful, and death is a great fear. Ryan Walters from United States Comment 35 of 37, added on November 7th, 2009 at 5:19 PM. Jake, my guess about the "gulped in the yellow trenches" line is that Stephen Crane is talking about someone with an infection gasping for air. Many soldiers would have yellow pus drained from their wounds constantly, but eventually died from infections because the medical conditions were horrifying. Nschultz from United States More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind, has received 37 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Stephen Crane with others on the American Poems poetry forum!

Poem Info
Poet: Stephen Crane Poem: 1. Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind Volume: War is Kind & Other Lines Year: Published/Written in 1899 Last read: Dec 8 2009, 5:35PM Viewed 39142 times. Added on November 7th, 2009 at 5:19 PM.

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