Summary

The poem begins with an unnamed but communal speaker describing his surroundings, Flanders fields. He explains that there are poppies growing all around, in between crosses that designate graves. Overhead, there are larks flying "bravely," which one can barely hear due to the sound of gunfire on the ground (4).

The speaker announces, "We are the Dead" (6). He says that only recently, they were living and breathing, experiencing the natural surroundings and feelings of love. Now, however, they all "lie / In Flanders fields" (8-9).

In the final stanza, the speaker addresses the reader directly, saying, "Take up our quarrel with the foe" (10). He says that he and his fellow soldiers will be passing the "torch" from "failing hands," and encourages the reader to "hold it high" (11-12). He concludes the poem by announcing that if those listening "break faith" with those who died, the dead...