The Soldier

Rupert Brooke, 1887 – 1915

 

If I should die, think only this of me:

   That there’s some corner of a foreign field

That is for ever England.  There shall be

   In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;

A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,

   Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,

A body of England’s, breathing English air,

   Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.

 

And think, this heart, all evil shed away,

   A pulse in the eternal mind, no less

     Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;

Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;

   And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,

     In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.

 

 

Traduzione :

 

Se dovessi morire pensa solo questo di me:

che c’è un angolo di una terra straniera

che sarà per sempre Inghilterra. Ci sarà

in quella ricca terra straniera una polvere nascosta ancora più ricca

una polvere che l’Inghilterra generò, che ha plasmato e reso consapevole,

che diede, una volta, i fiori da amare, le sue vie da percorrere,

un corpo inglese, respirante aria inglese,

lavato dai fiumi, benedetto dal sole di casa.

 

E pensa che, questo cuore, liberatosi dal male,

una pulsazione in uno spirito eterno, nondimeno,

da qualche luogo restituisce i pensieri dall’Inghilterra ricevuti;

i suoi panorami e i suoni; i sogni felici come il suo giorno;

e la risata, imparata da amici; e la gentilezza,

in cuori in pace, sotto un cielo inglese.

 

1 . Focus on the title of Rupert Brooke’s poem. What traits do you think a good soldier should possess?

In my opinion a good soldier should possess courage, fortitude and integrity. Courage is needed to face the fears and the difficulties of war, fortitude to endure the hard conditions of life on the frontline and integrity to keep your principles even in such hard conditions and not to fallen into pieces.

2 . Read the poem and answer:

1. Who is speaking? An English soldier is speaking.
2. Is he afraid of death? No, he doesn’t seem afraid of it. He is aware of the possibility to die (If I should die) but his heart is in peace as he says at the end of the poem.
3. Where will be his grave? His grave will probably be in a foreign field. However that corner of a foreign field will always belong to England.
4. How his dead body will enrich the soil? His dead body will become dust that will enrich the soil, since that dust will conserve the memory of England and of an English soldier.
5. Is there any emphasis on war? No there isn’t a strong emphasis on war, since the focus of the poem is the soldier’s thoughts. Anyway, there are some references to war, like the foreign field, where he is fighting, and the expression all evil that stands for the cruelty and wickedness of war.
6. Who is the poet speaking to? Since there aren’t clear reference to the addressee, I suppose the poem is addressed to his homeland, England, whose name recurs many times.

 

3 . Work out the rhyme scheme and say what kind of poem this is.

The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFG EFG. The poem is arranged into two quatrains and to tercets, so it is an example of Petrarchan sonnet form. The octet is rhymed following the Shakespearean/Elizabethan pattern (abab cdcd), while the sestet follows the Petrarchan/Italian pattern (efg efg). 

4 . Find the images referring to death. What idea do they suggest?

The poet exploits two different images to refer to death. The octave relies on the image of dust, that reveals a materialistic point of view about death and suggests the idea of bodily death. On the contrary in the sestet the poet uses the image of a pulse in eternal mind, to underline that the soldier’s soul will live forever.

5 . List the images connected with England under the following headings:

• Landscape: a corner of a foreign field that is forever England; a dust whom England bore; English air; suns of home.
• Inner growth and private feelings: the thoughts by England; dreams happy as her day; English heaven.

6 . Highlight the view of England conveyed. What traditional qualities does the poet underline?

The reader can recognize a strong sense of patriotism conveyed by the repetition of the words England and English. At line 6, England is personified into a woman (England … gave, once, her followers to love, her ways to roam) and again, at lines 11 and 12, the poet attributes her human qualities (the thoughts by England given, her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day). To sum up, in the octave the poet highlights the beauty of English landscapes, while in the sestet he underlines the beauty of English soul and culture.

7 . Define the tone of the poem and summarize its theme. 

The poem faces many important themes: first of all the theme of death. The poet shows to be aware of the precariousness of human life (If I should die) but he faces death in a positive way. The theme of death is connected to the one of memory (think only this of me). The poet reflects on the eternity of memory, in opposition to the limit of human life.

The main theme of the poem might be the sense of patriotism and the love for your homeland. Indeed what the poem wants to communicate is that when a soldier dies for his country he will rest in peace forever, in the paradise of his country.