Poem by Alan Seeger

Sonnet 8. Oh, love of woman, you are known to be

Oh, love of woman, you are known to be
A passion sent to plague the hearts of men;
For every one you bring felicity
Bringing rebuffs and wretchedness to ten.
I have been oft where human life sold cheap
And seen men's brains spilled out about their ears
And yet that never cost me any sleep;
I lived untroubled and I shed no tears.
Fools prate how war is an atrocious thing;
I always knew that nothing it implied
Equalled the agony of suffering
Of him who loves and loves unsatisfied.
War is a refuge to a heart like this;
Love only tells it what true torture is. 

1. Thirty Sonnets. 19. Vivien
2. Thirty Sonnets. 28. On the Cliffs, Newport
3. Broceliande
4. Thirty Sonnets. 7. Sonnet 7. To me, a pilgrim on that journey bound
5. Thirty Sonnets. 21. Virginibus Puerisque

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