{"id":2838,"date":"2014-11-07T15:14:00","date_gmt":"2014-11-07T15:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.longkeshinsideout.co.uk\/?p=2838"},"modified":"2014-11-07T15:14:00","modified_gmt":"2014-11-07T15:14:00","slug":"alan-seeger-i-have-a-rendezvous-with-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.longkeshinsideout.co.uk\/?p=2838","title":{"rendered":"Alan Seeger: I Have A Rendezvous With Death"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Alan Seeger was born in New York City in 1888.\u00a0 His family moved to Mexico City when he was 10 years old and it was this period of his young life that was to influence much of his poetry.\u00a0 By the time he was eighteen Seeger had enrolled in Harvard University.\u00a0 Seeger’s brother Charlie was the father of the famous Seeger siblings…Pete, Mike and Peggy..pioneers of the American Folk music scene.
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In\u00a0late 1914 and at the start of the First World War Seeger enlisted in the French Foreign Legion in order to fight for the Allies..the US hadnt entered the War at this stage.\u00a0 On the 4 July 1916 Seeger was wounded a number of times by machine gun fire at Belloy en Santerre..it is claimed that he continued to shout encouragement to his fellow troops as they mounted an offensive-despite his grave wounds.\u00a0 he died from those wounds.\u00a0\u00a0All of Seeger’s poetry was published posthomously-his first book being published in December 1916.\u00a0 By the next year his most famous poem was released for the first time and remains a standard almost one hundred years later.\u00a0 By now the quality of his poetry attracted great acclaim and drew comparison with the great British poets of the time, in particular Rupert Brooke.
\nIn 1923 the French government erected a monument to the 24 members of the French Foreign Legion who died during the conflict between 1914-18.\u00a0 On the monument are inscribed these words..from the pen of Alan Seeger……….<\/p>\n

They did not pursue worldly rewards; they wanted nothing more than to live without regret, brothers pledged to the honor implicit in living one’s own life and dying one’s own death. Hail, brothers! Goodbye to you, the exalted dead! To you, we owe two debts of gratitude forever: the glory of having died for France, and the homage due to you in our memories.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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I Have a Rendezvous with Death<\/h1>\n
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Alan Seeger<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I have a rendezvous with Death   \r\nAt some disputed barricade,   \r\nWhen Spring comes back with rustling shade   \r\nAnd apple-blossoms fill the air\u2014   \r\nI have a rendezvous with Death\r\nWhen Spring brings back blue days and fair.   \r\n\r\nIt may be he shall take my hand   \r\nAnd lead me into his dark land   \r\nAnd close my eyes and quench my breath\u2014   \r\nIt may be I shall pass him still.\r\nI have a rendezvous with Death   \r\nOn some scarred slope of battered hill,   \r\nWhen Spring comes round again this year   \r\nAnd the first meadow-flowers appear.   \r\n\r\nGod knows \u2018twere better to be deep \r\nPillowed in silk and scented down,   \r\nWhere love throbs out in blissful sleep,   \r\nPulse nigh to pulse, and breath to breath,   \r\nWhere hushed awakenings are dear...   \r\nBut I\u2019ve a rendezvous with Death\r\nAt midnight in some flaming town,   \r\nWhen Spring trips north again this year,   \r\nAnd I to my pledged word am true,   \r\nI shall not fail that rendezvous.<\/pre>\n
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Beano<\/strong><\/em><\/pre>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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