Dulce et Decorum est

by Wilfred Owen

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.
Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime.—
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams before my helpless sight
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin,
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,—
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.

Annabel Lee

by Edgar Allan Poe

It was many and many a year ago,
    In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
    By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
    Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
    In this kingdom by the sea:
But we loved with a love that was more than love —
    I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
    Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
    In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
    My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsmen came
    And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
    In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
    Went envying her and me —
Yes! — that was the reason (as all men know,
    In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
    Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
    Of those who were older than we —
    Of many far wiser than we —
And neither the angels in heaven above,
    Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
    Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
    Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
    Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling — my darling — my life and my bride,
    In her sepulchre there by the sea,
    In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Deep in a Dream

by Eddie DeLange

I dim all the lights
And I sink in my chair
The smoke from my cigarette
Climbs through the air
The walls of my room
Fade away in the blue
And I'm deep in a dream of you

The smoke makes a stairway
For you to descend
You come to my arms
May this bliss never end
For we love anew
Just as we used to do
When I'm deep in a dream of you

Then from the ceiling
Sweet music comes stealing
We glide through a lover's refrain
You're so appealing
That I'm soon revealing
My love for you over again

My cigarette burns me
I wake with a start
My hand isn't hurt
But there's pain in my heart
Awake or asleep
Every memory I'll keep
Deep in a dream of you

This Guy's in Love with You

by Hal David

You see this guy
This guy's in love with you
Yes, I'm in love
Who looks at you the way I do?
When you smile, I can tell
We know each other very well

How can I show you
I'm glad I got to know you?

'Cause I've heard some talk
They say you think I'm fine
This guy's in love
And what I'd do to make you mine
Tell me now, is it so?
Don't let me be the last to know

My hands are shaking
Don't let my heart keep breaking

'Cause I need your love
I want your love
Say you're in love with this guy
If not I'll just die

The Rain

by James Wilson

I could blame it on the moon
For calling me out tonight
Maybe I'm just a little bit lonesome
And maybe my head ain't right

I could walk down to the station
See my reflection on the ground
Receding in the ripples
But I do not hear a sound

The devil, she comes to me
Says, 'Boy, do you want to go out tonight?'
She's got a 40-ounce Hurricane in her left hand
And a .45 in her right

You're dying just to touch her
But your heart just wants to scream
So you pull her just a little bit closer
And pretend it's all just a dream

I ain't the man I want to be
They call it freedom
As you're reaching for your chains
I'm haunted by the memories
Of who I used to be
When I didn't hate the rain
Like I hate the rain

I ain't trying to sing the blues
It's bloody fingers and guitar strings
'Cause 12 bars is just a prison
When there's nothing else left to sing

Be Still, My Soul

by Katharina von Schlegel
Trans. by Jane Borthwick

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.

Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
On earth, believing, to Thy Lord on high;
Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
So shall He view thee with a well pleased eye.
Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.

The Camera Eye

by Neil Peart

Grim-faced and forbidding
Their faces closed tight
An angular mass of New Yorkers

Pacing in rhythm
Race the oncoming night
They chase through the streets of Manhattan

Head-first humanity
Pause at a light
Then flow through the streets of the city

They seem oblivious
To a soft spring rain
Like an English rain
So light, yet endless
From a leaden sky

The buildings are lost
In their limitless rise
My feet catch the pulse
And the purposeful stride

I feel the sense of possibilities
I feel the wrench of hard realities
The focus is sharp in the city