The Red Flower

Dr. Henry van Dyke was an American author, lecturer, ambassador and pastor. He was in charge of the committee which wrote The Book of Common Worship of 1906, the first printed Presbyterian liturgy. He wrote many poems, short stories, hymns and essays, often with religious themes. This particular poem, written after the outbreak of World War I but set beforehand, contrasts the natural beauty of the summer before the war with the horror and destruction that is to follow.