"The Entrance of Joan of Arc into Orleans" by Jean-Jacques ScherrerA Sonnet by Edward Hoke The Society June 24, 2018 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 14 Comments 03.27.18 A smattering of rain above a hall That holds her earthy fragments, broken, spent, A woman who, in life, out-did them all, And e’en in death defies the elements. O, what would she make now of her dear France, Beset by enemies who walk among us, Tracing our very steps, this spiteful dance Of hateful conflict, pillared by mistrust. Yet none of us alive know of her woes, That fought for justice, ‘fore it was a thought, When no man did the same, a woman rose, Strapped armor on, and towards a new world fought. Lie still, great Joan, and leave the rest to we, Who’ll sculpt a world you built, but cannot see. Edward Hoke studies Acting and Classics at Northwestern University. For weekly poetry-based posts and photos, follow on instagram at @blandmagyar NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. Trending now: 14 Responses Joe Tessitore June 24, 2018 Wow! This is beautiful! Congratulations Edward! Reply Amy Foreman June 24, 2018 Beautiful, Edward. Reply James Ph. Kotsybar June 24, 2018 Wonderful! Reply E. V. June 24, 2018 This is a great poem. I particularly favor the ending. Reply Leo Yankevich June 24, 2018 “to we” should be “to us”. Reply E. V. June 24, 2018 It might be an easy fix. Perhaps this: Lie still great Joan and rest, for it is we Reply E. V. June 24, 2018 Edward, you wrote an exceptional poem, which I truly do like a lot. I’m not trying re-write it; I was just trying to be helpful. C.B. Anderson June 26, 2018 Yes, “to we” sticks out like a sore thumb. Even some circumlocution such as “to us that be” would be better than this. Reply Dave Whippman June 24, 2018 Effective contrast between then and now, with a timely topical reference. Reply Joan Fullmore June 25, 2018 Love your beautiful poem to my Patron Saint Joan, very inspirational! Reply jcf108 June 27, 2018 Lie still, great Joan, and leave the rest to we, Who’ll sculpt a world you built, but cannot see. I say we not us on purpose for we will lead the way Your beating heart eternal still inspires us today! Reply David Watt June 26, 2018 A memorable poem which seamlessly links past to present. Reply C.B. Anderson June 26, 2018 If you read the comments further, you will see that the links are not all that seamless. Reply David Watt June 27, 2018 Thanks C.B., When reading this sonnet I also immediately noticed the ‘to we’ instance. I am in agreement with comments that a fix for this would help. However, I still contend that the linkage between past and present is effectively made. Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
E. V. June 24, 2018 It might be an easy fix. Perhaps this: Lie still great Joan and rest, for it is we Reply
E. V. June 24, 2018 Edward, you wrote an exceptional poem, which I truly do like a lot. I’m not trying re-write it; I was just trying to be helpful.
C.B. Anderson June 26, 2018 Yes, “to we” sticks out like a sore thumb. Even some circumlocution such as “to us that be” would be better than this. Reply
Dave Whippman June 24, 2018 Effective contrast between then and now, with a timely topical reference. Reply
Joan Fullmore June 25, 2018 Love your beautiful poem to my Patron Saint Joan, very inspirational! Reply
jcf108 June 27, 2018 Lie still, great Joan, and leave the rest to we, Who’ll sculpt a world you built, but cannot see. I say we not us on purpose for we will lead the way Your beating heart eternal still inspires us today! Reply
C.B. Anderson June 26, 2018 If you read the comments further, you will see that the links are not all that seamless. Reply
David Watt June 27, 2018 Thanks C.B., When reading this sonnet I also immediately noticed the ‘to we’ instance. I am in agreement with comments that a fix for this would help. However, I still contend that the linkage between past and present is effectively made.
