large/11398/unhappy_far-off_things_1701_librivox_64kb_mp3/unhappyfaroffthings_08_dunsany_64kb_8
large/11398/unhappy_far-off_things_1701_librivox_64kb_mp3/unhappyfaroffthings_08_dunsany_64kb
English
11398
All the rest speaks of war, of war that comes to gardens, without banners or trumpets or splendour, and roots up everything, and turns round and smashes the house, and leaves it all desolate, and forgets and goes away. ALL THE REST SPEAKS OF WAR OF WAR THAT COMES TO GARDENS WITHOUT BANNERS OR TRUMPETS OR SPLENDOR AND ROOTS UP EVERYTHING AND TURNS ROUND AND SMASHES THE HOUSE AND LEAVES IT ALL DESOLATE AND FORGETS AND GOES AWAY
ps to imagine more easily what France has suffered than if I spoke of millions. I speak of one garden in Arras; and you might walk from there, south by east for weeks, and find no garden that has suffered less. It is all weeds and elders. An apple-tree rises out of a mass of nettles, but it is quite dead. Wild rose-trees show here and there, or roses that have ran wild like the cats of No-Man's-Land: And once I saw a rose-bush that had been planted in a pot and still grew there, as though it still remembered man, but the flower-pot was shattered, like all the pots in that garden, and the rose grew wild as any in any hedge. The ivy alone grows on over a mighty wall, and seems to care not. The ivy alone seems not to mourn, but to have added the last four years to its growth as though they were ordinary years. That corner of the wall alone whispers not of disaster, it only seems to tell of the passing of years, which makes the ivy strong, and for which in peace as in war there is no cure. AY HELP YOU PERHAPS TO IMAGINE MORE EASILY WHAT FRANCE HAS SUFFERED THAN IF I SPOKE OF MILLIONS I SPEAK OF ONE GARDEN AN ARRAS AND YOU MIGHT WALK FROM THERE SOUTH BY EAST FOR WEEKS AND FIND NO GARDEN THAT HAS SUFFERED LESS IT IS ALL WEEDS AND ELDERS AN APPLE TREE RISES OUT OF THE MASS OF NETTLES BUT IT IS QUITE DEAD WILD ROSE TREES SHOW HERE AND THERE OR ROSES THAT HAVE RAN WILD LIKE THE CATS OF NO MAN'S LAND AND ONCE I SAW A ROSE BUSH THAT HAD BEEN PLANTED IN A POT AND STILL GREW THERE AS THOUGH IT STILL REMEMBERED MAN BUT THE FLOWER POT WAS SHATTERED LIKE ALL THE POTS IN THAT GARDEN AND THE ROSE GREW WILD AS ANY IN ANY HEDGE THE IVY ALONE GROWS ON OVER A MIGHTY WALL AND SEEMS TO CARE NOT THE IVY ALONE SEEMS NOT TO MOURN BUT TO HAVE ADDED THE LAST FOUR YEARS TO ITS GROWTH AS THOUGH THEY WERE ORDINARY YEARS THAT CORNER OF THE WALL ALONE WHISPERS NOT OF DISASTER BUT IT ONLY SEEMS TO TELL OF THE PASSING OF YEARS WHICH MAKES THE IVY STRONG AND FOR WHICH IN PEACE AS IN WAR THERE IS NO CURE
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