Say, do the Russians want a war? -- Go ask our land, then ask once more That silence lingering in the air Above the birch and poplar there. Beneath those trees lie soldier lads Whose sons will answer for their dads. To add to what you learned before, Say -- Do the Russians want a war? Those soldiers died on every hand Not only for their own dear land, But so the world at night could sleep And never have to wake and weep. New York and Paris spend their nights Asleep beneath the leaves and lights. The answer's in their dreams, be sure. Say -- Do the Russians want a war? Sure, we know how to fight a war, But we don't want to see once more The soldiers falling all around, Their countryside a battleground. Ask those who give the soldiers life Go ask my mother, ask my wife, Then you will have to ask no more, Say -- Do the Russians want a war? | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A DREAM OF JULIUS CAESAR by ROBERT FROST THE EXECUTIVE by DAVID IGNATOW UNDER THE CEDARCROFT CHESTNUT by SIDNEY LANIER RECESSIONAL by EDGAR LEE MASTERS TO WHISTLER, AMERICAN; ON LOAN EXHIBIT OF PAINTINGS AT TATE GALLERY by EZRA POUND |