Poems by Isaac Rosenberg

INTRODUCTORY MEMOIR
follow on with letters and shall send the bits of
—or rather the bit of—a play I've written. Just
now it is interfered with by a punishment I am
undergoing for the offence of being endowed with
a poor memory, which continually causes me
trouble and often punishment. I forgot to wear
my gas-helmet one day ; in fact, Fve often forgotten
it, but I was noticed one day, and seven
days 1 pack drill is the consequence, which I do
between the hours of going up the line and sleep.
My memory, always weak, has become worse since
Fve been out here."
To Gordon Bottomlcy {Postmark, August 3, 1917).
" I don't think I'll get my play complete for it
in time, though it will hardly take much space,
it's so slight. If I could get home on leave I'd
work at it and get it done, no doubt, but leaves
are so chancy. It's called 'The Unicorn.' Now,
it's about a decaying race who have never seen a
woman ; animals take the place of women, but
they yearn for continuity. The chiefs Unicorn
breaks away and he goes in chase. The Unicorn is
found by boys outside a city and brought in, and
breaks away again. Saul, who has seen the Unicorn
on his way to the city for the week's victuals,
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