The Day

YOU boasted the Day, and you toasted the Day,
And now the Day has come.
Blasphemer, braggart and coward all,
Little you reck of the numbing ball,
The blasting shell, or the "white arm's" fall,
As they speed poor humans home.

You spied for the Day, you lied for the Day,
And woke the Day's red spleen.
Monster, who asked God's aid Divine,
Then strewed His seas with the ghastly mine;
Not all the waters of the Rhine
Can wash thy foul hands clean.

You dreamed for the Day, you schemed for the Day;
Watch how the Day will go,
Slayer of age and youth and prime,
(Defenceless slain for never a crime),
Thou art steeped in blood as a hog in slime,
False friend and cowardly foe.

You have sown for the Day, you have grown for the Day;
Yours is the harvest red.
Can you hear the groans and the awful cries?
Can you see the heap of slain that lies,
And sightless turned to the flame-split skies
The glassy eyes of the dead?

You have wronged for the Day, you have longed for the Day
That lit the awful flame.
'Tis nothing to you that hill and plain
Yield sheaves of dead men amid the grain;
That widows mourn for their loved ones slain,
And mothers curse thy name.

But after the Day there's a price to pay
For the sleepers under the sod,
And He you have mocked for many a day --
Listen, and hear what He has to say:
"VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY."
What can you say to God?

Analysis (ai): This potent anti-war poem confronts warmongers responsible for the horrors of battle. It excoriates their glorification and desires for war, emphasizing the carnage it inflicts on innocent civilians. The poem's concise stanzas build a relentless crescendo of condemnation, with each stanza accusing the warmongers of a different sin.

Compared to the author's other works, this poem stands out for its explicit condemnation of war and its perpetrators. While other poems explore themes of nature and love, this one focuses solely on the destructive nature of conflict.

In its historical context, the poem reflects the disillusionment and anger felt during World War I. It echoes the sentiments of those who witnessed the devastating toll of war firsthand and serves as a powerful indictment of the warmongering that led to the conflict. (hide)

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Cricketjeff - Henry Lang Chappell was born in 1874 at Sennen, Cornwall and died (probably of cancer) in 1937.

He was for most of his life a railway porter at Bath Spa station

on Sep 16 2017 02:54 AM PST x edit

Susan Sawyer - This is not the usual take of a poem about war. It is far more personal. It shows anger, sadness and disillusion. My great-grandfather, Henry Chappell wrote this from the heart, he wrote for the rest of the world who felt all those emotions, anger etc. So much so this poem became internationally famous, almost over night. Henry's great self effacement meant he didn't want fame, let alone fortune. The £100 he made from this poem he gave to the Red Cross.

on Nov 25 2013 08:34 AM PST x edit

Piñata Non Grata - An exemplary and most worthy effort from your great-grandfather. Not simply for his having written the poem which was later published, but for the charitable action of his donation of funds received for the poem to the Red Cross, Thank you.

on Mar 14 2023 01:50 PM PST x edit

Susan Sawyer - Apparently, the Kaiser read it was was not too pleased. In fact he was hopping mad!!

on Nov 25 2013 08:37 AM PST x edit