I never knew the words: “You must!”
And shall my wreath return to dust?
Freemen! [The door is yet ajar];
From northern star to southern star,
O ye who count and [ye who delve],
Come in—before my clock strikes twelve!
NOTES AND QUESTIONS
Biography. John Galsworthy (1867-⸺) was born in Coombe, Surrey, England, and has led the life of the typical English gentleman. After spending five years at Harrow he went to Oxford University. In 1890 he was admitted to the bar, but he disliked the profession of law and never practiced it. He spent several years, after leaving college, in foreign travel, and did not begin to write until he was thirty years old. He has written a number of dramas dealing with social questions, such as “Justice” and “Strife.” He is also well-known for his short stories and novels. During the recent World War, Mr. Galsworthy served several months in an English hospital for French soldiers.
The poem “England to Free Men” was written when England was for the first time about to adopt conscription as a method of recruiting an army to oppose German aggression in Belgium and France.
Discussion. 1. Who is supposed to be speaking in this poem? 2. Whom does the speaker address? 3. Of what “courtyard” does the poet speak? 4. What is the meaning of the first two lines of the second stanza? 5. What kind of flag does the poet say England “flies in every sea”? 6. Explain the “wreath” mentioned in the last stanza. 7. What does the poet mean by “before my clock strikes twelve”? 8. What has been America’s attitude toward conscription? 9. What impression of the author do you gain from this poem? 10. Tell what you know of him.