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As a result of bombing during WWI, the western European landscapes were ravaged and war-torn; despite these conditions, the resilient poppy flower continued to bloom. To Lt. Col. John McCrae, this symbolized blood spilled on the WWI battlefields, and became the inspiration for the Canadian soldier and poet to author the prominent rondeau ‘In Flanders Fields’, outside of Ypres, Belgium.
In Flanders Fields
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.
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