Poppies and Landscapes of War
© Georgene A. Bramlage
May 27, 2006
"In Flanders Fields" written by Canadian military doctor Colonel John McCrae in 1915 used the imagery of red poppies (Papaver rhoeas) in landscapes of "The Great War."
Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD
(1872-1918)
Canadian Army
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
