Chapter 4
Summer in England 1914. By Alice Maynall. Read for LibriVox.org by Sonia. Summer in England 1914. On London fell a clearer light, caressing pencils of the sun defined the distances, the white houses transfigured one by one, the long unlovely street imperled. Oh, what a sky has walked the world! Most happy year, and out of town the hay was prosperous and the wheat, the silken harvest climbed the down, moon after moon was heavenly sweet, stroking the bread within the sheaves, looking twix'd apples and their leaves. And while this rose made round her cup, the armies died convulsed, and when this chaste young silver sun went up, softly a thousand shattered men, one wet corruption, heaped the plain after a league-long throb of pain. Flower following tender flower, and birds and berries, and benign skies made thrive the serried flocks and herds. Yonder a man shot through the eyes, Love, hide thy face from man's unpardonable race.
Who said, No man hath greater love than this, to die to serve his friend. So these have loved us all unto the end. Child thou no more, O thou unsacrificed. The soldier dying dies upon a kiss, the very kiss of Christ.
