Sonnet On Seeing a Piece of our Heavy Artillery Brought into Action

"Sonnet On Seeing a Piece of our Heavy Artillery Brought into Action" is a poem by Wilfred Owen. It deals with the atrocities of World War I.

Portions of it were set to music by Benjamin Britten in his War Requiem (1962) .

Text

Be slowly lifted up, thou long black arm,

Great Gun towering towards Heaven, about to curse;

Sway steep against them, and for years rehearse

Huge imprecations like a blasting charm!

Reach at that Arrogance which needs thy harm,

And beat it down before its sins grow worse.

Spend our resentment, cannon,-yea, disburse

Our gold in shapes of flame, our breaths in storm.

Yet, for men's sakes whom thy vast malison

Must wither innocent of enmity,

Be not withdrawn, dark arm, the spoilure done,

Safe to the bosom of our prosperity.

But when thy spell be cast complete and whole,

May God curse thee, and cut thee from our soul!