The soldier
If I should die, think only this of me: A
That there's some corner of a foreign field B
That is for ever England. There shall be A
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed; B
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, C
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam; D
A body of England's, breathing English air, C
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home. D
And think, this heart, all evil shed away, E
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less F
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given; G
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day; E
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness, F
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven. G
The poem is made up of two stanzas, the first ones consist of 8 lines and the second ones of six lines. Lines have an irregular length and begin with capital letters. There’s a regular punctuation, and a rhyme scheme, in the first stanza is ABABCDCD; in the second stanza is EFGEFG. There is also a repetition. There is a personification, because England is like a mother. There is a simile, too.
In this poem, the poet says that if he should die, people have to remember that “there’s some corner of a foreign field // That is for ever England” (line 2 and 3). I really like this sentence because it contains a deep sense of patriotism.
All in all, I think this poem is very touching because it’s about the war, but it celebrates it as the best way to serve one’s motherland.
The poem
If I should die, think only this of me: A That there's some corner of a foreign field B That is for ever England. There shall be A In that rich earth a richer dust concealed; B A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, C Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam; D A body of England's, breathing English air, C Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home. D
And think, this heart, all evil shed away, E A pulse in the eternal mind, no less F Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given; G Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day; E And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness, F In hearts at peace, under an English heaven. G
Structure and poetic devices
The poem is made up of two stanzas, the first ones consist of 8 lines and the second ones of six lines. Lines have an irregular length and begin with capital letters. There’s a regular punctuation, and a rhyme scheme, in the first stanza is ABABCDCD; in the second stanza is EFGEFG. There is also a repetition. There is a personification, because England is like a mother. There is a simile, too.
Meaning and personal response
In this poem, the poet says that if he should die, people have to remember that “there’s some corner of a foreign field // That is for ever England” (line 2 and 3). I really like this sentence because it contains a deep sense of patriotism.
All in all, I think this poem is very touching because it’s about the war, but it celebrates it as the best way to serve one’s motherland.
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