A Poem by Siegfried Sassoon: 'The Child at the Window'

It seems fitting to share this poem with you at this time, as we approach Remembrance Day. Siegfried Sassoon is of course most famous for his war poetry and his friendship with, and mentorship of, Wilfred Owen. His post-war poetry is less celebrated but no less affecting as he views the world through the prism of his experiences during the First World War. 'The Child at the Window' (written in 1939) is perhaps my favourite Sassoon poem. As a father it has a particular resonance with me; the sentiment behind it - that there is nothing more important than the enduring love a parent has for their child - is a very beautiful one. I help out with a creative writing group at the place where I work and we read and discussed this poem at this week's session. The other participants in the group appeared to be captivated by it, just as I am.  B.R. 08/11/2014

Remember this, when childhood's far away;
The sunlight of a showery first spring day;
You from your house-top window laughing down,
And I, returned with whip-cracks from a ride,
On the great lawn below you, playing the clown.
Time blots our gladness out. Let this with love abide...

The brave March day; and you, not four years old,
Up in your nursery world - all heaven for me.
Remember this - the happiness I hold -
In far off springs I shall not live to see;
The world one map of wastening war unrolled,
And you, unconscious of it, setting my spirit free.

For you must learn, beyond bewildering years,
How little things beloved and held are best.
The windows of the world are blurred with tears,
And troubles come like cloud-banks from the west.
Remember this, some afternoon in spring,
When your own child looks down and makes your sad heart sing.

 

Siegfried Sassoon by George Charles Beresford (1915)