Poem ~ Italian War Preparations - Thursday, 26 November 1914

Another country perhaps,

Will fight on the allies side.

With the rumours

Of Italian contingents,

Becoming well prepared.

Yet caution shall remain,

Without authority,

To confirm, or liberty

To say,

That Rome may still keep

Their status quo.

But sights of Italian Forces

Are seen,

As making preparations;

So that Latin saying,

‘Casus Belli’ might

Happen sooner,

Rather than later.

Working in persuasion,

German resources

Have been raised,

To meet the standard

Of Rome - in hope

To halt ‘the inevitable.’

Sources of friction

Still stirred the surface

Of Italian and Turkey

Tensions -

That Turkey might

Be made responsible -

And how Italians

Would fight, to keep

Open the Suez Canal.

In the United States,

With many Italians

Numbering millions,

Against Germany’s

Military ambitions – Yet

Still the USA remained,

A country of neutrality.

Acts that can justify war,

Might also reverse such conflict.

Americans and Italians

May then have hoped,

Of Germany’s  withdrawal -

The world could yet be restored-

Beating out a pre war drum -

Seeking stability of leadership,

With a 400 year old saying,

Statu quo res erant ante bellum.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. Italy’s Attitude – Expected Intervention – An American report. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 9 Aug. p.9. Col.6. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11253879/Daily-Telegraph-November-26-1914.html [Accessed: 26 November 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 26 November 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11253879/Daily-Telegraph-November-26-1914.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #ww1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered