War has never truly benefited anyone — whether it's a world war or a civil war. But if we read any religious or spiritual text, we realize that even peace isn't always the perfect answer. Sometimes, for the sake of self-defense, we are left with no choice but to choose the path of war.
We should always be thankful to the soldiers of our country, because of whom we live safely and peacefully. To honor their courage and strengthen their spirit, we should write poems about war and peace — words that inspire bravery during difficult times and unite people in their support for our soldiers.
War and peace have inspired some of the most powerful poetry in history. From the horrors of battle to the longing for harmony, these poems capture deep emotions. Here are 25 unforgettable war and peace poems—each written by renowned poets.
1. "Dulce et Decorum Est" – Wilfred Owen
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots...
2. "The Charge of the Light Brigade" – Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
"Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!" he said...
3. "In Flanders Fields" – John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below...
4. "Anthem for Doomed Youth" – Wilfred Owen
What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons...
5. "The Soldier" – Rupert Brooke
If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is forever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed...
6. "War Is Kind" – Stephen Crane
Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind.
Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky
And the affrighted steed ran on alone,
Do not weep.
War is kind...
7. "Peace" – Rupert Brooke
Now, God be thanked Who has matched us with His hour,
And caught our youth, and wakened us from sleeping,
With hand made sure, clear eye, and sharpened power,
To turn, as swimmers into cleanness leaping...
8. "Grass" – Carl Sandburg
Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.
Shovel them under and let me work—
I am the grass; I cover all...
9. "The Man He Killed" – Thomas Hardy
"Had he and I but met
By some old ancient inn,
We should have sat us down to wet
Right many a nipperkin!
But ranged as infantry...
10. "Break of Day in the Trenches" – Isaac Rosenberg
The darkness crumbles away.
It is the same old druid Time as ever,
Only a live thing leaps my hand,
A queer sardonic rat...
11. "August 1914" – Vera Brittain
God said, "Men have forgotten Me:
The souls that sleep shall wake again,
And blinded eyes must learn to see."
So since redemption comes through pain...
12. "The Battle of Blenheim" – Robert Southey
"It was a summer evening,
Old Kaspar's work was done,
And he before his cottage door
Was sitting in the sun...
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13. "Here Dead We Lie" – A.E. Housman
Here dead we lie because we did not choose
To live and shame the land from which we sprung.
Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose;
But young men think it is, and we were young...
14. "The War in the Air" – Howard Nemerov
For a saving grace, we didn't see our dead,
Who rarely bothered coming home to die
But simply stayed away out there...
15. "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" – Randall Jarrell
From my mother's sleep I fell into the State,
And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life...
16. "Aftermath" – Siegfried Sassoon
Have you forgotten yet?...
For the world's events have rumbled on since those gagged days,
Like traffic checked awhile at the crossing of city ways...
17. "The Next War" – Wilfred Owen
Out there, we've walked quite friendly up to Death;
Sat down and eaten with him, cool and bland,—
Pardoned his spilling mess-tins in our hand...
18. "Peace" – Henry Vaughan
My soul, there is a country
Far beyond the stars,
Where stands a winged sentry
All skillful in the wars...
19. "The Guns" – W.W. Gibson
I heard the challenge, "Who goes there?"
Close-kept but mine through midnight air.
I answered and was recognized,
And passed, and kindly thus advised...
20. "The Parable of the Old Man and the Young" – Wilfred Owen
So Abram rose, and clave the wood, and went,
And took the fire with him, and a knife.
And as they sojourned both of them together...
21. "The Target" – Ivor Gurney
I shot him, and it had to be
One of us! 'Twas him or me.
'Couldn't be helped,' and none can blame
Me, for you would do the same...
22. "The Cenotaph" – Charlotte Mew
Not yet will those measureless fields be green again
Where only yesterday the wild, sweet, blood of wonderful youth was shed...
23. "The Troops" – Siegfried Sassoon
Dim, gradual thinning of the shapeless gloom
Shudders to drizzling daybreak that reveals
Disconsolate men who stamp their sodden boots...
24. "The Send-Off" – Wilfred Owen
Down the close, darkening lanes they sang their way
To the siding-shed,
And lined the train with faces grimly gay...
25. "To Germany" – Charles Hamilton Sorley
You are blind like us. Your hurt no man designed,
And no man claimed the conquest of your land.
But gropers both through fields of thought confined...
🌟 Final Thoughts
These 25 powerful war and peace poems remind us of both the tragedy of conflict and the hope for harmony. From Wilfred Owen's haunting depictions of trench warfare to Rupert Brooke's patriotic devotion, these verses capture the full spectrum of human experience during times of war and the longing for peace.
These poems serve as both historical documents and timeless reflections on the human condition. They honor the sacrifice of those who served, remember the fallen, and remind us of the true cost of conflict. Through their words, we find both the horror of war and the enduring hope for peace.
Which one moved you the most? Share your thoughts below and let us know how these poems touched your heart.
Want to explore more inspiring poetry? Check out our AI Poem Generator to create your own verses about courage, sacrifice, and hope.
