The Complete Poems of Francis Ledwidge with Introductions by Lord Dunsany: Enriched edition. Reflections of Irish Nature and Love: A Poetry Anthology with Literary Insights

by Francis Ledwidge

Francis Ledwidge, Irish poet, served in an Irish battalion ("The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers") of the British Army during World War I. His first volume of poems was published while he served, in 1915; two more were published posthumously, and were followed by this collection of complete works in 1919. He and five comrades had been killed by an exploding shell during the third battle of Ypres (July 1917). His poems reflect his love for his native rural countryside, tinged with loss arising from the war. From his frequent use of a blackbird motif, he was known as the "Poet of the Blackbird." Of him, the poet John Drinkwater wrote: "His poetry exults me, while not so his death.... to those who know what poetry is, the untimely death of a man like Ledwidge is nothing but calamity." - Summary by Nemo

Genres: Poetry, Ireland

152 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1919

Reviews

[Samuel Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Francis Ledwidge captures the pain of serving as a soldier in WW1 and his longing for his home in County Meath, Ireland. His lines are marked by their simple beauty and his ability to capture country scenes in a few words.

"...Ay! soon the swallows will be flying south,
The wind wheel north to gather in the snow,
Even the roses spilt on youth’s red mouth
Will soon blow down the road all roses go."

From 'June'

Ledwidge captures also the conflict of being a proud Irishman fighting in British Army. He mourns the execution of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising in a few of his poems.

Reading Ledwidge is calming, moving and, at times, thrilling. He was killed by a German shell in 1917 aged 29.