To Lucasta, Going to the Wars Summary & Analysis
by Richard Lovelace

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The English Cavalier poet Richard Lovelace first published "To Lucasta, Going to the Wars" in his 1649 collection, Lucasta. The poem is told from the perspective of a soldier explaining to his lover that she shouldn't think him cruel for leaving her to go to war. He argues that his honor is at stake and that his love would be less meaningful if he were the kind of man who didn't fight for what he believes in. The poem suggests that acting on one's principles sometimes requires personal sacrifice.

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