Sonnet On Seeing a Piece of our Heavy Artillery Brought into Action
Sonnet On Seeing a Piece of our Heavy Artillery Brought into Action is a poem by Wilfred Owen. It deals with the atrocities of World War I.
The poem is among those set in the War Requiem of Benjamin Britten.
Sonnet On Seeing a Piece of our Heavy Artillery Brought into Action
- Be slowly lifted up, thou long black arm,
- Great Gun towering towards Heaven, about to curse;
- Sway steep against them, and for years rehearse
- Huge imprecations like a blasting charm!
- Reach at that Arrogance which needs thy harm,
- And beat it down before its sins grow worse.
- Spend our resentment, cannon,-yea, disburse
- Our gold in shapes of flame, our breaths in storm.
- Yet, for men's sakes whom thy vast malison
- Must wither innocent of enmity,
- Be not withdrawn, dark arm, the spoilure done,
- Safe to the bosom of our prosperity.
- But when thy spell be cast complete and whole,
- May God curse thee, and cut thee from our soul!