Anti-Patriot

The poem "Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries" by A.E. Housman is a poem that criticizes the use of hired guns with no loyalty to the nation rather than regular foot soldiers who would have a sense of patriotism and love of the homeland. Specifically talking about the First Battle of Ypres where territorial soldiers broke and fled from the German advance while the professional soldiers of the British standing army held ranks and took on the brunt of the German forces, Housman called mercenary soldiers unpatriotic claiming that all they do is take their wages and run. Comparing the British regulars to Atlas, he praises them for holding up the sky while the mercenaries run as it falls. By standing they keep the Earth from parting and defend what the mercenaries think God abandons. By staying and fighting they save their payment, not money but life and the ability to go home to their families and loved ones.