Don't let the title fool you: Stephen Crane's "War Is Kind" is an anti-war poem. Using heavy irony, the poem pretends to praise war's virtues while actually showing war's horrors—including the death of a soldier, the sorrow of his loved ones, and the bloody battlefield on which he died. Crane likely drew inspiration from the brutality of the American Civil War and published "War Is Kind" in 1899 as the opening poem in a volume of the same title. This is, in fact, where "War Is Kind" gets its name from; Crane left the poem itself untitled in the collection.
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The Full Text of “War is Kind”
1Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind.
2Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky
3And the affrighted steed ran on alone,
4Do not weep.
5War is kind.
6 Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment,
7 Little souls who thirst for fight,
8 These men were born to drill and die.
9 The unexplained glory flies above them,
10 Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom—
11 A field where a thousand corpses lie.
12Do not weep, babe, for war is kind.
13Because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches,
14Raged at his breast, gulped and died,
15Do not weep.
16War is kind.
17 Swift, blazing flag of the regiment,
18 Eagle with crest of red and gold,
19 These men were born to drill and die.
20 Point for them the virtue of slaughter,
21 Make plain to them the excellence of killing
22 And a field where a thousand corpses lie.
23Mother whose heart hung humble as a button
24On the bright splendid shroud of your son,
25Do not weep.
26War is kind.
The Full Text of “War is Kind”
1Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind.
2Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky
3And the affrighted steed ran on alone,
4Do not weep.
5War is kind.
6 Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment,
7 Little souls who thirst for fight,
8 These men were born to drill and die.
9 The unexplained glory flies above them,
10 Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom—
11 A field where a thousand corpses lie.
12Do not weep, babe, for war is kind.
13Because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches,
14Raged at his breast, gulped and died,
15Do not weep.
16War is kind.
17 Swift, blazing flag of the regiment,
18 Eagle with crest of red and gold,
19 These men were born to drill and die.
20 Point for them the virtue of slaughter,
21 Make plain to them the excellence of killing
22 And a field where a thousand corpses lie.
23Mother whose heart hung humble as a button
24On the bright splendid shroud of your son,
25Do not weep.
26War is kind.
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“War is Kind” Summary
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“War is Kind” Themes
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The Cruelty and Senselessness of War
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “War is Kind”
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Lines 1-5
Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind.
Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky
And the affrighted steed ran on alone,
Do not weep.
War is kind. -
Lines 6-8
Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment,
Little souls who thirst for fight,
These men were born to drill and die. -
Lines 9-11
The unexplained glory flies above them,
Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom—
A field where a thousand corpses lie. -
Lines 12-16
Do not weep, babe, for war is kind.
Because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches,
Raged at his breast, gulped and died,
Do not weep.
War is kind. -
Lines 17-19
Swift, blazing flag of the regiment,
Eagle with crest of red and gold,
These men were born to drill and die. -
Lines 20-22
Point for them the virtue of slaughter,
Make plain to them the excellence of killing
And a field where a thousand corpses lie. -
Lines 23-26
Mother whose heart hung humble as a button
On the bright splendid shroud of your son,
Do not weep.
War is kind.
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“War is Kind” Symbols
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Drums
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The Flag
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The Shroud
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“War is Kind” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Repetition
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Apostrophe
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Irony
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Personification
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Alliteration
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Assonance
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Simile
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Juxtaposition
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“War is Kind” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Maiden
- Affrighted
- Steed
- Hoarse
- Regiment
- Drill
- Battle-god
- Babe
- Trenches
- Shroud
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “War is Kind”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“War is Kind” Speaker
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“War is Kind” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “War is Kind”
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More “War is Kind” Resources
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External Resources
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The Poem Out Loud — Listen to a reading of "War Is Kind" on YouTube.
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The Poem's Original Context — Read the full text of the book War Is Kind, with illustrations from the period, at Project Gutenberg.
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The Poet's Papers — Check out the Stephen Crane Collection, an archive of Crane papers and memorabilia, at Syracuse University.
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More on War by Crane — Read the Project Gutenberg e-text of The Red Badge of Courage, Crane's famous novel about the American Civil War.
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Biography of the Poet — Read about Stephen Crane's life and work at Poetry Foundation.
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