The Blind God & Other Poems: "I never joined the army for patriotic reasons."

By Isaac Rosenberg

Isaac Rosenberg was born on November 25th 1890 in Bristol. As a child his family moved to the squalid streets of London’s Jewish Ghetto, and took any number of menial jobs to survive. Isaac only attended school briefly at age 14. He began work as an engraver’s apprentice and to work in his spare time on his painting. These talents in painting and other visual arts allowed him to go to a funded place at the Slade School of Art. His early poetry was closely associated with the Romantic movement, especially the influences of Keats and Shelley. His volume of poems ‘Youth’ was published in 1915 and then he enlisted to fight in the War. He fought until 1918 and his death in the battle of Arras on April 1st at the age of 28. Within those few short years he found his own distinctive and clear voice. He is mainly remembered as a War Poet and on the horrific canvas that was to be The First World War he expressed himself as few others could. ‘August 1914’ like many of his works is short but distilled to an essence with a clear and unquenchable voice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Copyright Group
• Release date: Jan 3, 2014
• ISBN: 9781783949069

Book preview

The Blind God & Other Poems by Isaac Rosenberg

Isaac Rosenberg was born on November 25th 1890 in Bristol.  As a child his family moved to the squalid streets of London’s Jewish Ghetto, and took any number of menial jobs to survive.  Isaac only attended school briefly at age 14. He began work as an engraver’s apprentice and to work in his spare time on his painting.  These talents in painting and other visual arts allowed him to go to a funded place at the Slade School of Art. 

His early poetry was closely associated with the Romantic movement, especially the influences of Keats and Shelley.  His volume of poems ‘Youth’ was published in 1915 and then he enlisted to fight in the War.  He fought until 1918 and his death in the battle of Arras on April 1st at the age of 28.  Within those few short years he found his own distinctive and clear voice.  

He is mainly remembered as a War Poet and on the horrific canvas that was to be The First World War he expressed himself as few others could.  ‘August 1914’ like many of his works is short but distilled to an essence with a clear and unquenchable voice.

Index Of Poems

August 1914

Break Of Day In The Trenches

In the Trenches

In The Underworld

Creation

In War

‘A Worm Fed On The Heart Of Corinth'

The Troop Ship

Dawn

Through These Pale Cold Days

Dead Man's Dump

On Receiving News Of The War

Spring, 1916

Daughters Of War

Tess

Beauty

The Blind God

Of Any Old Man

On A Lady Singing

The Burning Of The Temple

Isolation : A Fragment

The Destruction Of Jerusalem By The Babylonian Hordes

Killed In Action

Marching (As Seen From the Left File)

Chagrin

The Immortals

The Jew

The Nun

My Days

O, In A World Of Men And Women

The Dying Soldier

Louse Hunting

The Female God

Don Juans Song

The One Lost

Expression

A Careless Heart

Far Away

A Girls Thoughts

First Fruit

At Night

From Night And Day

Girl To A Soldier On leave

A Mood

God

Zion

Hearts First Word. I.

Hearts First Word. II

Ah, Koelue

Home-Thoughts From France

Soldier: Twentieth Century

A Question

Song

In Piccadi

Spring

Returning, We Hear the Larks

Sleep

Wedded

A Ballad Of Whitechapel

August 1914

What in our lives is burnt

In the fire of