“And when the clamour of the battlefield abates,”
Said Élie Ducommun in his acceptance speech
Upon receiving the Peace Prize, “the labor
Of civilization has to begin anew
In a world of physical and moral chaos.”
As tragic as his statement is, well, true,
It reminds us not of rebirth, but of loss:
Continuing, “This is what has been called
The refining and civilizing influence of war.”
That war refines those subject to its effects
Or civilizes as it does so recollects
‘Glamour of the fight’ justifications.
Ducommun’s point was: ‘Stop this plagiary;
It’s our world: stop the ‘ironic’ tragedy!’
June Edvenson 