Wednesday 30 January 2008

'Daughters of War' by Isaac Rosenberg

More than with most poets, the manuscripts of Isaac Rosenberg tell us much about the conditions that the First World War soldier lived and worked under. In Rosenberg's writing the immediacy of the trench experience echoes, not only through his words, but also through the condition of many of the manuscripts. His work was written on poor quality paper and was carried around in a wet khaki pocket, and to this day contains dustings of mud and water stains that reverberate the War. This manuscript, written on printed Salvation Army paper, folded in 8, torn and stained with mud, contains a pencil draft with opening lines related to the poem 'Daughters of War'. This is one of over 200 items from the Rosenberg Collection at the Imperial War Museum being digitised for inclusion in the First World War Poetry Digital Archive.