[690] Tell Brave Deeds of War

"Tell brave deeds of war."

Then they recounted tales, --
"There were stern stands
And bitter runs for glory."

Ah, I think there were braver deeds.

 	-- Stephen Crane

	(Black Riders XV)

I've read a number of war poems, good, bad and indifferent, but nothing
quite like today's quietly understated piece. There is a certain quality to
Crane's work; not quite 'originality', for the sentiment is not a new one,
but rather distinctiveness - not so much what the poem says as how it says
it.

As in many of his other poems, Crane manages to say a lot in surprisingly
few words; nor is it, as with some other poets, a matter of layering
meanings and imagery, or of 'making every word count'. With Crane, it seems
to be more a matter of finding *precisely* the right thing to say, and then
saying it as simply and economically[1] as possible - a technique that
sounds simple enough in theory, but whose difficulty is actually concealed
by the ease with which Crane accomplishes it.

[1] but without ever losing his characteristic tone of voice

Links:

poem #196 has a biography and a more extensive discussion of crane's
poetry.

poem #253 is one of my favourite verses from The Black Riders

And http://geocities.com/~spanoudi/poems/crane02.html contains the complete
text of The Black Riders and Other Lines, of which today's poem is but
stanza XV.

-martin