'Whereas most women . . .’
Whereas most women live this difficult life
Merely in order not to die the death
And take experience as they take their breath,
Accepting backyards, travail, crusts, all naïf;
And nothing greatly love, and nothing loathe---
Others there are who seemingly forget
That men build walls to shelter from the wet,
For sustenance take meals, for comfort clothe.
These must embellish every act with grace;
These eat for savours; dress to show their lace;
Suppose the earth for gardens; hands for nard.
Now which you hold as higher than the other
Depends, in fine, on whether you regard
The poetess as nobler than the Mother.
Title |
'Whereas most women . . .’
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Author |
Owen, Wilfred (1893-1918)
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Content | |
Copyright |
The Estate of Wilfred Owen. The Complete Poems and Fragments of Wilfred Owen edited by Jon Stallworthy first published by Chatto & Windus, 1983. Preliminaries, introductory, editorial matter, manuscripts and fragments omitted.
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Digital repository | |
First line |
Whereas most women live this difficult life
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Publication source |
The Complete Poems and Fragments of Wilfred Owen
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Publication editor |
Stallworthy, Jon
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Collection
Citation
“'Whereas most women . . .’,” by Owen, Wilfred (1893-1918). The Estate of Wilfred Owen. The Complete Poems and Fragments of Wilfred Owen edited by Jon Stallworthy first published by Chatto & Windus, 1983. Preliminaries, introductory, editorial matter, manuscripts and fragments omitted. via First World War Poetry Digital Archive, accessed September 30, 2023, http://ww1lit.nsms.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/items/show/10527.
Permitted Use
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