War Poets

The Soldier – Rupert Brooke

Poesia

1. If I should die, think only this of me:

2. That there's some corner of a foreign field

3. That is forever England. There shall be

4. In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;

5. A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,

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

7. A body of England's, breathing English air,

8. Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.

9. And think, this heart, all evil shed away,

10. A pulse in the eternal mind, no less

11. Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;

12. Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;

13. And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,

14. In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.

Traduzione

1. Se dovessi morire pensa solo questo di me:

2. Che c'è un angolo di una terra straniera

3. Che sarà per sempre Inghilterra. Ci sarà

4. In quella ricca terra straniera una polvere nascosta ancora più ricca;

5. Una polvere che l'Inghilterra generò, che ha plasmato e reso consapevole,

6. Che diede, una volta, i fiori da amare, le sue vie da percorrere,

7. Un corpo inglese, respirante aria inglese,

8. Lavato dai fiumi, benedetto dal sole di casa.

9. E pensa che, questo cuore, liberatosi dal male,

10. Una pulsazione in uno spirito eterno, nondimeno,

11. Da qualche luogo restituisce i pensieri dall'Inghilterra ricevuti;

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

13. E la risata, imparata da amici; e la gentilezza,

14. In cuori in pace, sotto un cielo inglese.

Rupert Brooke was a War Poet, during the First World War he wrote five sonnets and one of the most famous is called "The Soldier". Within this sonnet is possible to identify a strong sense of patriotism, it is clear from the repetition of the words "England" or "English" that for six times appear within the text (with only 14 rows).

The ideals expressed are therefore those of Glory, Sacrifice and Homeland. The British government, in fact, played an important role in transmitting these ideals and to persuade people to join the war, using mostly propaganda (newspapers, advertising signs, etc.).

The sonnet has the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFG EFG: the quatrains are alternating rhymes, the triplets are repeated rhymes. In verses 4 and 5, the poet compares himself to a dust in a foreign land that "England bore." Dust is here a metaphor used by the poet to be compared to the natural world, as he may soon be a corpse.

In verse 6 England has given to the poet "love flowers" and "ways to go." England can’t really give anything, so this is an example of personification, the attribution of human qualities to non-human things. What the poet wants to communicate in the last part of the sonnet is that when a soldier dies for his country, he returns home anyway: heaven, in fact, will be full of English memories, "her sights and sounds."

A different attitude towards the war manifested in Sigfred Sasson, a survivor of World War I, his work "Suicide in the trenches" is a testimony and a report of the horrible conditions in which the soldiers fighting in the trenches.

Paraphrase

If I were to die, I ask you to remember only one thing about me:

A small piece of a foreign land will always belong to England because my body will be buried there.

That land will be enriched by my remains, which originated from England.

I was shaped, nurtured, and educated by England,

I lived among its flowers, walked its paths, and absorbed its culture.

I was an Englishman through and through, breathing English air,

Blessed by the natural elements of my homeland.

After death, my soul, free from sin and corruption,

Will merge with the eternal consciousness of the universe.

It will return all the love and inspiration that England has given me.

I will remember the sights and sounds of England,

The joy, the friendships, and the kindness that I have known.

And all of this will continue to exist peacefully, under the protective presence of England.

Analysis of meter and structure

The Soldier

Rupert Brooke’s is a sonnet that uniquely blends elements from both Shakespearean and Petrarchan traditions. The poem’s structure consists of fourteen lines of iambic pentameter, a rhythmical pattern where each line consists of ten syllables with alternating stressed and unstressed beats. This meter creates a flowing, harmonious effect, enhancing the poem’s meditative and reverent tone.

The division of the poem follows an unconventional sonnet form:

• The first eight lines (octave) resemble the structure of a Shakespearean sonnet, focusing on the speaker’s physical connection to England and his national identity.
• The final six lines (sestet) are structured in the style of a Petrarchan sonnet, shifting from the tangible world to a more philosophical, spiritual reflection on death and eternity.

The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABAB CDCD EFG EFG, which, while not strictly following either the Shakespearean (ABABCDCDEFEFGG) or Petrarchan (ABBAABBACDCDCD) patterns, incorporates elements of both.

The use of the octave and sestet division mirrors the classical Petrarchan volta The Soldier, sonnet’s thematic shift, known as the (turn). In this transition occurs between the first and second stanzas. The octave focuses on the soldier’s earthly, patriotic devotion, while the sestet moves towards a more abstract and eternal vision of his legacy.

Line-by-Line Analysis

1. "If I should die, think only this of me:"

The poem begins with a contemplative and almost serene reflection on death. The imperative "think only this" shows that the speaker wants to shape how he is remembered, directing attention solely to his patriotic sentiment rather than the horrors of war.

2. "That there’s some corner of a foreign field"

The phrase suggests the burial of soldiers on foreign soil, an inevitability in war. It evokes a sense of permanence and solemnity.

3. "That is for ever England."

This line implies that despite dying abroad, the soldier’s resting place will always retain an English identity. It suggests that his sacrifice is an extension of England itself.

4. "There shall be / In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;"

The "rich earth" refers to the burial ground, and the "richer dust" represents the poet’s remains, which he considers valuable due to their English origins. This phrase emphasizes the sacredness of his body, enhanced by its connection to his homeland.

5. "A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,"

The speaker attributes his entire existence to England, which "bore" him (gave him life), "shaped" him (molded his character), and "made [him] aware" (educated him, giving him consciousness