The poem
"Oh, sick I am to see you, will you never let me be? You may be good for something, but you are not good for me. Oh, go where you are wanted, for you are not wanted here. And that was all the farewell when I parted from my dear.
"I will go where I am wanted, to a lady born and bred Who will dress me free for nothing in a uniform of red; She will not be sick to see me if I only keep it clean: I will go where I am wanted for a soldier of the Queen.
"I will go where I am wanted, for the sergeant does not mind; He may be sick to see me but he treats me very kind: He gives me beer and breakfast and a ribbon for my cap, And I never knew a sweetheart spend her money on a chap.
"I will go where I am wanted, where there's room for one or two, And the men are none too many for the work there is to do; Where the standing line wears thinner and the dropping dead lie thick; And the enemies of England they shall see me and be sick."
This poem is straight-up! "Oh, sick I am to see you" thats just classical. It reminds me of a diss song by LL Cool J. Remeber when he diss Canibus. Yea Folk!!!!!!!!!
This poem is about the rejection Housman recieved from the true love of his life, Moses Johnson. This, like many of his poems, deals with the topic of homosexuality and his love for Johnson in particular. By all accounts, when Housman revealed his love for his handsome, athletic (and heterosexual) friend, he was cruelly rebuffed. Quite a few of his poems deal with this one incident. It emotionally scarred Housman…
Read the whole commentThis poem is about the rejection Housman recieved from the true love of his life, Moses Johnson. This, like many of his poems, deals with the topic of homosexuality and his love for Johnson in particular. By all accounts, when Housman revealed his love for his handsome, athletic (and heterosexual) friend, he was cruelly rebuffed. Quite a few of his poems deal with this one incident. It emotionally scarred Housman and influenced the rest of the poetry he wrote throughout his life. His cycnicism/pessimism concerning love that seems to many like heartlessness and a lack of any romantic feeling can be attributed to this. Johnson basically said "get out of my life" and Housman reluctantly aquiesced. In case you didn't get it, the "new mistress" is the British army; not an actual woman. If for any reason you ever want the Housman poems dealing with Johnson and homosexuality (for like a term paper or background anything) it gives quite an interesting perspective and clears up reading Housman incredibly. I have stockpiled the poems and can provide them along with a pretty thorough explanation if you're interested. Just e-mail me.