"The Man He Killed" By Thomas Hardy

Had he and I but met
By some old ancient inn,
We should have sat us down to wet
Right many a nipperkin!

But ranged as infantry,
And staring face to face,
I shot at him as he at me,
And killed him in his place.

I shot him dead because-
Because he was my foe.
Just so: my foe of course he was;
That's clear enough; although

He thought he'd list perhaps
Off-hand like- just as I-
Was out of work- had sold his traps-
No other reason why.

Yes; quaint and curious war is!
You shoot a fellow down
You'd treat if met where any bar is,
Or help to half a crown.

Roberts, Edgar V., and Robert Zweig. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and

Writing. Boston: Longman, 2012. Print. Thomas Hardy. The Man He Killed. Page 656.

Pearls of Wisdom. "The Man He Killed" By Thomas Hardy. Online Video Clip. YouTube. 13 March 2012.