When all is over and you march for home The spoils of war are easily disposed of: Standards, weapons of combat, helmets, drums May decorate a staircase or a study, While lesser gleanings of the battlefield- Coins, wathes, wedding-rings, gold teeth and such Are sold anonymously for solid cash. The spoils of love present a different case. When all is over and you march for home: That lock of hair, these letters and the portrait May not be publicly displayed; nor sold; Nor burned; nor returned (The heart being too obstinate)- Yet never dare entrust them to a safe For fear they may burn a hole through two-foot steel. by Robert Graves
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