Jump to content

Pacifist War Song

From Wikisource
(Redirected from Pacifist War Song - 1917)
Pacifist War Song (1917)
by H. P. Lovecraft

Published in March 1917; negative satire of pacifists

9563Pacifist War Song1917H. P. Lovecraft

We are the valiant Knights of Peace
Who prattle for the Right:
Our banner is of snowy fleece,
Inscrib’d: "TOO PROUD TO FIGHT!"

By sweet Chautauqua’s flow’ry banks
We love to sing and play,
But should we spy a foeman’s ranks!
We’d proudly run away!

When Prussian fury sweeps the main
Our freedom to deny;
Of tyrant laws we ne’er complain;
But gladsomely comply!

We do not fear the submarines
That plough the troubled foam;
We scorn the ugly old machines -
And safely stay at home!

They say our country’s close to war
And soon must man the guns;
But we see naught to struggle for -
We love the gentle Huns!

What though their hireling Greaser bands
Invade our southern plains?
We well can spare those boist’rous lands,
Content with what remains!

Our fathers were both rude and bold,
And would not live like brothers;
But we are of a finer mould -
We’re much more like our mothers!

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.


The longest-living author of this work died in 1937, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 86 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse