First published in 1918 ampldquoA Spring Harvestamprdquo is the posthumous collection of poetry by Geoffrey Bache Smith a close high school and college friend of J R R Tolkien Together with their friends Rob Gilson and Christopher Wiseman the four young men formed the semisecret Tea Club and Barrovian Society while in school where they discussed their artistic interests and plans for the future The outbreak of World War I interrupted the menamprsquos plans however and Smith and Gilson died in France at the Battle of the Somme in 1916 Tolkien who was ill and evacuated to England prior to the battle wished to honor his friendamprsquos memory by publishing Smithamprsquos poems Tolkien greatly enjoyed Smithamprsquos work and felt it would bring comfort and joy to a nation recovering from the harsh and brutal war Smithamprsquos poems showcase a number of different poetic styles and run the spectrum of emotion from serious to whimsical and charming Written both before and during the war in a style often compared to W B Yeats ampldquoA Spring Harvestamprdquo is an engaging and insightful reflection on both the emotional realities of war and the beauty that may be found in life This...
