Quote by Wilfred Owen, Strange Meeting, 1

It seemed that out of battle I escaped Down some profound dull tunnel, long since scooped Through granites which titanic wars had groined. Yet also there encumbered sleepers groaned, Too fast in thought or death to be bestirred.Then, as I probed them, one sprang up, and stared With piteous recognition in fixed eyes,Lifting distressful hands, as if to bless. And by his smile, I knew that sullen hall, - By his dead smile I knew we stood in Hell. With a thousand pains that vision's face was grained;Yet no blood reached there from the upper ground, And no guns thumped, or down the flues made moan. 'Strange friend,' I said, 'here is no cause to mourn.''None,' said that other, 'save the undone years, The hopelessness. Whatever hope is yours, Was my life also; I went hunting wild After the wildest beauty in the world, Which lies not calm in eyes, or braided hair, But mocks the steady running of the hour, And if it grieves, grieves richlier than here.For by my glee might many men have laughed,And of my weeping something had been left, Which must die now. I mean the truth untold, The pity of war, the pity war distilled.http://www.pitt.edu/~pugachev/greatwar/owen.html

Summary

This quote is from the poem "Strange Meeting" by Wilfred Owen. The speaker describes a vivid dream or vision, where he finds himself in a tunnel created by the destruction of war. He encounters a fellow soldier, who rises and recognizes him with a sorrowful expression. The soldier's smile reveals that they are in the depths of Hell. The soldier laments the lost years and hopeless nature of their lives, as they both sought beauty and truth amidst the horrors of war. The quote reflects on the pity and tragedy inherent in war, unveiling the untold truth and the deep sorrow it brings.