Soldiers are citizens of death's grey land, Drawing no dividend from time's to-morrows. In the great hour of destiny they stand, Each with his feuds, and jealousies, and sorrows.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Soldiers are portrayed as doomed citizens of a bleak future, bearing personal grievances yet standing at a pivotal moment.
- In plain terms
- Soldiers live in a grim reality, carrying personal conflicts while facing destiny.
- What can you take from it?
- Recognize the human burden behind military service.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What does 'death’s grey land' suggest about war?
- How do personal feuds affect soldiers' duties?
Another view
The poetic tone may romanticize suffering.
More from Siegfried Sassoon
I have seen and endured the sufferings of the troops, and I can no longer be a party to prolong these sufferings for ends which I believe to be evil and unjust…
Permalink to quote #2 I am making this statement as an act of wilful defiance of military authority, because I believe that the War is being deliberately prolonged by those who have…
Permalink to quote #1 Soldiers are dreamers; when the guns begin They think of firelit homes, clean beds, and wives.
Permalink to quote #5
Related quotes
Soldiers are dreamers; when the guns begin They think of firelit homes, clean beds, and wives.
Siegfried SassoonSiegfried Sassoon quote #5 In thinking about the costs of this war, and thinking about renewing it, we have to reconsider what it has done to America. It has turned the U.S. military int…
Andrew SullivanAndrew Sullivan quote #5 It seemed clear that wars were not made by generations and their special stupidities, but that wars were made instead by something ignorant in the human heart.
John KnowlesJohn Knowles quote #9