Poème ~ Un soldat donne Récompense - Vendredi 30 Octobre 1914

Sur la place du Châtelet, Paris
Est venu un seul soldat français,
Son uniforme et des bottes encore
Souillé par la boue de tranchées.
Il marchait en traînant une jambe,
Ayant été blessé à l'avant.
En arrivant sur un policier,
Converser avec un parisien,
Le soldat a fait appel à l'aide.

Aborder le policier, il a dit
De sa soif - qu'il était sur la route
Pour répondre et rester avec ses parents.
Le soldat avait été donné 20 jours
Convalescence de ses blessures;
Mais ce soir-là avait nulle part où dormir.

L'homme parisien a eu pitié
Sur ce soldat blessé.
L'homme a dit qu'il était le bienvenu
Pour manger et boire et si besoin est,
Pour rester avec eux pendant un certain temps.
Pris de court par la gentillesse,
Le soldat a accepté l'homme.

Il était deux heures quand ils sont venus
Dans la maison parisienne,
Quand l'homme appelé à sa femme,
Pour «préparer un repas et
Donner une bonne bouteille de vin
Pour ce soldat blessé.

La femme prêts mis à faire
Certains aliments - alors rappelé
Une bouteille de vin qu'elle avait gardé,
Parmi les autres objets, légués
Pour sa par une tante excentrique.

Trouver la bouteille dans sa cave
Elle a apporté ce dans la lumière.
Comme elle a fait pour ouvrir le vin
Entré une surprise complète -
Autour du cou a été soigneusement
Enveloppé d'un billet de 500 francs.

Également une note dans sa tante excentrique de
écriture; «Puisque vous avez décidé de
Boire cette bouteille à la naissance de votre
Premier enfant, je me réserve cette petite surprise
Pour vous. »Heureusement verser le vin,
Ils ont bu à la santé du soldat.

Par Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. Virtue’s Reward – Samaritans and Soldier. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 30 Oct. p.3. Col.2. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11186087/Daily-Telegraph-October-30-1914.html [Accessed: 30 October 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 30 October 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11186087/Daily-Telegraph-October-30-1914.html

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

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Poem ~ Soldier Brings Reward - Friday, 30 October 1914

In the Place du Chatelet, Paris

Came a lone French soldier,

His uniform and boots still

Stained by the mud of trenches.

He walked, dragging a leg,

Having been injured at the front.

On coming across a policeman,

Conversing with a Parisian,

The soldier appealed for help.

Addressing the policeman, he told

Of his thirst – that he was on route

To meet and stay with his parents.

The soldier had been given 20 days

Convalescence for his wounds;

But that night had nowhere to sleep.

The Parisian man took pity

On this wounded soldier.

The man said he was welcome

To eat and drink and if needs be,

To stay with them for a time.

Taken aback by the kindness,

The soldier accepted the man.

It was 2 a.m. when they stepped

Into the Parisian house,

When the man called to his wife,

To ‘prepare a meal and

Give a good bottle of wine

For this wounded soldier.’

The willing wife set to making

Some food - then recalled

A bottle of wine she had kept,

Among other items, bequeathed

To her by an eccentric aunt.

Finding the bottle in their cellar

She brought this into the light.

As she made to open the wine

Came a complete surprise –

About the neck was carefully

Wrapped a 500 franc note.

Also a note in her eccentric aunt’s

Writing; ‘Since you have decided to

Drink this bottle at the birth of your

First child, I reserve this little surprise

For you.’ Happily pouring the wine,

They drank to the soldier’s health.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. Virtue’s Reward – Samaritans and Soldier. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 30 Oct. p.3. Col.2. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11186087/Daily-Telegraph-October-30-1914.html [Accessed: 30 October 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 30 October 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11186087/Daily-Telegraph-October-30-1914.html

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

#WW1Paris WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #ww1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered

Poem ~ Street Selling Girl - Tuesday, 27 October 1914

Appearing before a magistrate,

Mr Hopkins, at Bow-Street Police-

Court, Jennie Lines a lady of 24,

Whose occupation of artist's model,

Was to be charged of obstruction.

The offending place being a footpath

In Leicester Square, London.

Evidence provided by the Police

Was that the detained had sold

Leaflets, relating to the German

Kaiser - in this process had been

Importuning many gentlemen.

In particular to ask them to, 'buy

One and help the poor Belgians.'

In her refusal to move on, Jennie

Lines was then taken into custody.

At which point she explained,

'Gentlemen give us two pence

And three pence for them, under

The impression they are helping

The Belgians.' Noting that morning,

Jennie Lines had sold four dozen.

The detained informed the court,

That the leaflets were being sold

For a firm based in Albemarle street.

Then from the Mirrograph Company,

A Mr Reginald Lumley stood to say,

That the girl was one of a number

Who they employed - sellers were

To receive half the money gained,

With 5 per cent for the Belgian Relief

Fund - the rest being for the company.

At the Magistrate’s question,

Asking if they had been to the Police,

Mr Lumley said, they rang Scotland

Yard and that no licence was needed.

Was told that it would be no problem.

Mr Hopkins challenged Mr Lumley.

'Does it strike you as a proper way,

To do business in these times?'

Lumley explained that the company

Employed many girls like Miss Lines

Mr Hopkins then gave Mr Lumley

His judgment, saying Mirrograph

Was putting many girls on streets

To beg - in effect they were flooding

The streets with beggars, letting

Them make what they can, by

The very act of street begging.

Mr Lumley replied that what they

Did not strike them in such a way.

It seems that the prisoner,

Having been mentioned as Jennie

Lines, was fined ten shillings

With alternative of seven days

In prison - with no hint or mention

Of this young lady's decision.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. Danger to Girls - Street Selling Nuisance. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 27 Oct. p.3. Col.7. Available at: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03081/Telegraph1914_2710_3081958a.pdf [Accessed: 27 October 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 27 October 2014).

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03081/Telegraph1914_2710_3081958a.pdf

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

#WW1London WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #ww1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered