The title ballad, set before Paris as the German lines advance in 1914, invokes St. Barbara, patron of gunners and of those in danger of sudden death. Chesterton’s other verses include his bitter Elegy in a Country Churchyard, A Wedding in War-Time, poems on Arthur and old songs, and lighter pieces such as The Philanthropist.
Ringing, paradoxical verse from Chesterton, best for readers of The Ballad of the White Horse. Download the free EPUB.