Dulce et Decorum est is a poem by Wilfred Owen, a British soldier and poet who served in World War I. The poem is a vivid and powerful description of the horrors of war, focusing on the physical and psychological effects of chemical warfare. The title of the poem is taken from the Latin phrase “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori”, which translates to “It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country”. The poem begins with a description of the soldiers marching through a war-torn landscape, exhausted and weighed down by their heavy equipment. The speaker then describes a gas attack, and the horrific sight of a fellow soldier dying from the effects of the gas. The speaker then reflects on the irony of the Latin phrase, and how it does not reflect the reality of war. He concludes by condemning those who glorify war and urge young men to enlist, and instead urges them to think of the true cost of war.
By Wilfred Owen · First published 1918 · Genre: Poetry, War Literature, Romanticism