The Last Laugh
THE LAST LAUGH by WILFRED OWEN
'Oh! Jesus Christ! I'm hit,' he said; and died.
Whether he vainly cursed or prayed indeed,
The Bullets chirped---In vain, vain, vain!
Machine-guns chuckled---Tut-tut! Tut-tut!
And the Big Gun guffawed.
Another sighed---'O Mother,---Mother,---Dad!'
Then smiled at nothing, childlike, being dead.
And the lofty Shrapnel-cloud
Leisurely gestured,---Fool!
And the splinters spat, and tittered.
'My Love!' one moaned. Love-languid seemed his mood,
Till slowly lowered, his whole face kissed the mud.
And the Bayonets' long teeth grinned;
Rabbles of Shells hooted and groaned;
And the Gas hissed.
Title |
The Last Laugh
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Author |
Owen, Wilfred (1893-1918)
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Item date |
1983
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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 | |
Repository name |
ProQuest
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Repository address URL | |
First line |
Oh! Jesus Christ! I'm hit,' he said; and died.
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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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Publishers |
Chatto & Windus
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Publication place |
London
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Collection
Citation
“The Last Laugh,” 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 May 4, 2024, http://ww1lit.nsms.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/item/3318.
Permitted Use
This item is available for non-commercial educational use under the terms of the Jisc Model Licence. Further details available at: http://ww1lit.nsms.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/permitteduse