Albert Edelfelt, Finnish
“In ‘The Art of War,’ Sun Tzu Stresses the Importance of the Element of Surprise. And Yet, Here We Are,” 1892
Gouache paint and watercolor on paper
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Info about this artist is pointed to by my comment in another blog entry.
/// Here’s the March of the Pori Brigade,
behind boys (and the drums that they played).
Their fight, to the Finnish,
would later diminish
Sweden’s Kingdom, when Russians invade.
/// Now, the Finnish War had as its goal
to decide who would get to control
this disputed Finn land.
The Swedes’ King hadn’t planned
that at war’s end his Kingdom’s not whole.
/// Some believe men ought not fight at all.
(In a war, boys on both sides will fall.)
Just let Russia take charge
and their holdings enlarge.
Doesn’t matter who started the brawl.
/// All these drummer boys trudge through the snow,
and their marching puts on a great show.
Soldiers follow behind
in formations aligned;
the drum beats let them know where to go.
/// Later on, when there’s cannon balls flying,
even some of the grown men are crying.
Those who lead the advance
have most risk, and the chance
is much higher that they will be dying.