Robert Graves
“What do you think
The bravest drink
Under the sky?”
“Strong beer,” said I.
“There’s a place for everything,
Everything, anything,
There’s a place for everything
Where it ought to be:
For a chicken, the hen’s wing;
For poison, the bee’s sting;
For almond-blossom, Spring;
A beerhouse for me.”
“There’s a prize for every one
Every one, any one,
There’s a prize for every one,
Whoever he may be:
Crags for the mountaineer,
Flags for the Fusilier,
For English poets, beer!
Strong beer for me!”
“Tell us, now, how and when
We may find the bravest men?”
“A sure test, an easy test:
Those that drink beer are the best,
Brown beer strongly brewed,
English drink and English food.”
Oh, never choose as Gideon chose
By the cold well, but rather those
Who look on beer when it is brown,
Smack their lips and gulp it down.
Leave the lads who tamely drink
With Gideon by the water brink,
But search the benches of the Plough,
The Tun, the Sun, the Spotted Cow,
For jolly rascal lads who pray,
Pewter in hand, at close of day,
“Teach me to live that I may fear
The grave as little as my beer.”
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This poem plays with the idea of bravery, but it takes a lighthearted, almost satirical approach, blending war imagery with a simple, everyday pleasure—drinking beer. The speaker begins by posing the question of what the bravest drink, and the answer, “strong beer,” sets the tone for the entire piece: it’s a celebration of the mundane, yet somehow, it captures a sense of valor that feels both comical and sincere.
The poem doesn’t delve into the heroic nature of soldiers in the traditional sense. Instead, it juxtaposes the valorization of soldiers with the valorization of those who enjoy a drink in a pub. By linking the Fusilier, a British soldier, to beer, the poem establishes a connection between strength and a seemingly trivial indulgence. The image of soldiers being as brave as beer drinkers questions what we really value in society and suggests that bravery can be found in everyday acts as much as it can in wartime actions.
The repetition in the poem of “There’s a place for everything” and “There’s a prize for everyone” reinforces the poem’s playful tone. Each stanza sets up a pattern, and by the time the speaker reaches the final stanza, the comparison between war and beer becomes comically absurd. The poem’s shift from soldiers to pub-goers places the focus not on war itself, but on the camaraderie and sense of belonging that both beer drinkers and soldiers might share. The “beerhouse” is presented as a sanctuary where “jolly rascal lads” find their courage, and the comparison to Gideon’s biblical test emphasizes the mock seriousness with which the poem treats its subject.
There’s a certain rough, working-class heroism suggested in the poem, embodied by the men who prefer to drink beer in pubs rather than engage in more formal or socially accepted forms of bravery. The poem implies that true bravery may lie in the simple pleasures of life—like the joy of drinking with friends and not fearing death, as suggested in the final line: “Teach me to live that I may fear the grave as little as my beer.” It’s a phrase that encapsulates the carefree attitude of the speaker and his admiration for the beer-drinking men, equating their approach to life with courage.
At first glance, the poem seems light and humorous, but it slowly builds a commentary on the absurdity of how we measure courage. The fact that beer drinkers are deemed the “bravest” isn’t meant to undermine the true bravery of soldiers or heroes, but rather, it pokes fun at how society sometimes elevates what is familiar and comforting over what is traditionally seen as valiant.
In its simplicity, the poem creates a striking contrast between two worlds—the world of the battlefield and the world of the pub. The poem’s lack of complexity and reliance on repetition make it feel like a folksy chant, reinforcing the idea that true bravery is both a matter of perspective and attitude. The poem may not have the emotional depth of a traditional war poem, but it succeeds in capturing the spirit of camaraderie and fearless joy in the face of life’s challenges—whether that challenge is war or simply making it through another day with a good pint of beer.