Kinsey Keene

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This poem was one of 33 added in the 1916 edition. 

YOUR attention, Thomas Rhodes, president of the bank;
Coolbaugh Whedon, editor of the Argus;
Rev. Peet, pastor of the leading church;
A. D. Blood, several times Mayor of Spoon River;
And finally all of you, members of the Social Purity Club-
Your attention to Cambronne's dying words,
Standing with the heroic remnant
Of Napoleon's guard on Mount Saint Jean
At the battle field of Waterloo,
When Maitland, the Englishman, called to them:
"Surrender, brave Frenchmen!"-
There at close of day with the battle hopelessly lost,
And hordes of men no longer the army
Of the great Napoleon
Streamed from the field like ragged strips
Of thunder clouds in the storm.
Well, what Cambronne said to Maitland
Ere the English fire made smooth the brow of the hill
Against the sinking light of day
Say I to you, and all of you,
And to you, O world.
And I charge you to carve it
Upon my stone.
 

Comments

Paul Houle , 8 months ago

I find it remarkable that Kinsey Keene was written about extensively in the 1915 edition, but his epitaph appears only in the 1916 edition.

 

Jay Bushman , 7 months ago

The official report of the battle was that Cambronne said "The guard dies, but never surrenders." Popular legend has it that what he actually said was "Merde!" (Shit!) - less an exclamation of frustration and more a direct insult to the attackers.

Basically, Kinsey Keene is telling Rhodes, Whedon, Blood and the rest of the Social Purity Club that they can bite him. It's the Spoon River equivalent of "bury me face down so the world can kiss my ass."

 
 

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Editor Whedon
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Prominent Words

Napoleon (in 2 documents)
attention (in 4 documents)
hopelessly (in 2 documents)
Jean (in 2 documents)
remnant (in 2 documents)
Social (in 2 documents)
surrender (in 2 documents)
heroic (in 3 documents)
mayor (in 3 documents)
member (in 3 documents)
storm (in 3 documents)
thunder (in 3 documents)
Argue (in 4 documents)
charge (in 4 documents)
English (in 4 documents)
Purity (in 4 documents)
smooth (in 4 documents)
strip (in 4 documents)
battle (in 9 documents)
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