Item 110 - Letter from Siegfried Sassoon to R. C. Trevelyan

1 item.

54 Tufton St, S.W.1. - Thanks Trevelyan for the "Pterodamozels", which he did not know before; 'what a disgusting time it recalls, & how sad it is that Ld Wottlepays are still permitted to "carry on"!'; is 'much tickled' by Trevelyan's 'flexible, ingenious, colloquial rhythms'. Comments on '[h]ow delightful it is when poets exchange compliments!': is very happy to have had Trevelyan's 'appreciative letter' about "Lingual Exercises". Is a little worried after meeting Morgan [Forster] this morning and hearing that Trevelyan had been 'puzzled' by his 'lines about bullet & bayonet' ["The Kiss"]: the 'wretched poem has been a nuisance' to him, and he has been told that it has been used as proof that his 'heart was quite sound in spite of other pacifist poems'. Did not realise its ambiguity when he first published it; wrote it ironically after hearing Colonel Campbell, a 'sort of Isiah [sic] who went up & down France preaching bloodiness to the troops' give his 'celebrated lecture on "the spirit of the bayonet"', assisted by a sergeant to demonstrate 'what the Col. called "the killing face"'; remembers thinking afterwards that it was impossible to be both a good soldier and a good poet. If Trevelyan could see his war diaries, he would realise 'how difficult it was to be two things at once' since Sassoon always knew the only way he could show his 'interest in the humanity of the men was by being an efficient officer', and would only have made things harder for them if he had shown his 'disgust at the futility of what they were enduring'. Expects Trevelyan would say he should not have been there at all; did try protesting, but this only ended in him 'being obliged to go back & try to get killed'. This does not matter now, but he hopes Trevelyan will 'readjust his impression' of the poem. Does not often think about the war now, and it 'all seems quite incredible' when he does.