You are the first poem in a book of Soldier Poets
Your poem was written by a Major in the British Expeditionary Force in France during the First World War
He is only known by his initials no more
H.D’A. B.
Marthe of the lowered eyes
This is how the poem opens
I wonder who Marthe was
Marthe of the pale pale face
Other poems written by the poet are harsher and more reflective of war
I particularly like Givenchy Field
But you stand alone soft in the shadows away from the fear and carnage of those dreadful years
Caring for the fallen in your cloister-cell
Marthe of the heart of gold