The man he killed

Had he and I but met
By some old ancient inn,
We should have [sat]1 us down to wet 
Right many a nipperkin!

But ranged as infantry,
And staring face to face,
I shot at him as he at me,
And killed him in his place.

I shot him dead because -
Because he was my foe,
Just so: my foe of course he was;
That's clear enough; although

He thought he'd ['list]2 perhaps,
Offhand like - just as I -
Was out of work, had sold his traps,
No other reason why.

Yes, quaint and curious war is!
You shoot a fellow down 
You'd treat, if met where any bar is,
Or help to half-a-crown.

by Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) , from Time's Laughingstocks and Other Verses, published 1909

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Garth Baxter (1946-) , "The man he killed", stanzas 1-2,4-5 [satb,piano], from The Battle Cry, no. 3.
by John Joubert (1927-) , "The man he killed", op. 109 no. 4 (1985), from South of the Line, no. 4.

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