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Poems by Isaac Rosenberg

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INTRODUCTORY MEMOIR<br />

To Miss Seaton (March 8, 1918).<br />

" I do not feel that I have much to say, but I<br />

do know that unless I write now it will be a long<br />

time before you hear from me again, without<br />

something exceptional happens. It is not very<br />

cold now, but I dread the wet weather, which is<br />

keeping off while we are out, and, I fear, saving<br />

itself up for us. We will become like mummies<br />

—look warm and lifelike, but a touch and we<br />

crumble to pieces. Did I send you a little poem,<br />

'<br />

The Burning of the Temple '? I thought it was<br />

poor, or rather, difficult in expression, but G.<br />

Bottomley thinks it fine. Was it clear to you ?<br />

If I am lucky, and come off undamaged, I mean to<br />

put all my innermost experiences into the 'Unicorn.'<br />

1 I want it to symbolize the war and all the<br />

devastating forces let loose <strong>by</strong> an ambitious and<br />

unscrupulous will. Last summer I wrote pieces<br />

for it and had the whole of it planned out, but<br />

since then I've had no chance of working on it<br />

and it may have gone quite out of my mind."<br />

To Edward Marsh (dated March 28, 1918).<br />

" I think I wrote you I was about to go up the<br />

line again after our little rest. We are now in<br />

49 d

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