The Red Flower

Henry Van Dyke was a 19th century American educator, clergyman, and writer. After graduating from the Princeton Theological Seminary he became a professor of literature at Princeton. He later became the U S minister to the Netherlands. While ambassador to the Netherlands he played a major role in helping President Wilson keep the US out of World War I. Van Dyke wrote poetry, essays and hymns. He wrote the words to the hymn Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee. The Red Flower is a collection of poems written in wartime. Several poems were written after Van Dyke was retired from diplomatic service and could speak his own mind. The section entitled Interludes in Hollard speaks of a peaceful moment in the middle of war tore Europe.