Part of a series of images I drew in 2014 commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first world war.
All 5 are based on poetry written by soldiers who fought during the war.

TO A MISSING FRIEND
Written by GOLDFELD
(Killed during the war: no details available;no more is known about him, not even his first name.)

You have no grave, no cross … but you did die.
Maybe in some dark thicket your bones lie
Or you were sunk in swamp in deep of night,
Or Cossacks cruelly robbed you of the light.

And when it was and where and how …and why
I know not: death in forest does not cry.
You are a skull now white-bleached by the rain
Round which the weasel lightly leaves its train.

You are the ploughed earth on which horses stand
You are the grain that once did crown the land
You are the bread the farmer once did eat
You are the strength when peace returns to greet.

(Translated from German by Peter Appelbaum)

Poem and information about it found here.

If anyone can find the text in the original German please let me know.

Still no original text, but nightcore on FA was kind enough to translate the English back into German.
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/nightcore

Du hast kein Grab, kein Kreutz… aber du bis Tod.
Deine Knochen liegen vielleicht in einem dunklen Gebüsch, welches ihnen Unterkunft bot
Oder im Sumpf versunken in den Tiefen der Nacht,
Oder von Kosaken grausam ausgeraubt und umgebracht.

Und wann geschah es und wo und wie… und warum
Ich weiß nicht: Tote im Wald kommen nicht herum,
Du bist ein Schädel, jetzt weiß gebleicht vom Regen
Rund, sodass das Wiesel seinen Drill kann umgehen.

Du bist die gepflügte Erde auf denen die Pferde stehen
Du bist das Korn welches wahrt früher überall zu sehen
Du bist das Brot welches die Bauern einst verzehrt
Du bist die Stärke wenn der Frieden wieder einkehrt.