It is generally thought that poems of such nature are sad, and these poems are no exception. Here, we have two brave men going off to fight for their country, and leaving behind their loved ones.
Poems were usually a let out for the soldiers; it was a way of expressing their feelings without having to say them, when sometimes speaking is not enough. Here, words speak the soldier's true feelings, and you can grasp how they feel and what they wish for their loved ones once they are gone.They know that they are going to die, it is more likely that they won't return, which is why they are saying goodbye. But, they may be both saying goodbye, but they do it in very different ways.
Each poem, putting across their feelings in ways which have an affect on the way you feel after you have finished reading them. The first poem I mentioned in the title uses language which we don't generally use today. This doesn't make it harder to read, but it is obvious that it was written differently to the other poem.Tell me not, Sweet, I am unkind. " This opening line shows you that from the beginning the language is slightly different to how we speak today.
But the line actually isn't as confusing as you first think. When I read poems like these, I usually take one look at it and automatically tell myself I won't understand it. But really, after I read it you can see that's not the case. In actual fact, the soldier is telling 'Lucasta', who he is writing to, that she need not worry and not for her to think him mean for saying don't worry about me.The second of the two poems doesn't use such confusing language.
It is more conversational, but only compared to the other poem. The words are in simple sentences, and none of the words are moved around in a strange order like the first poem. He begins the poem saying "Heart of the heartless world, Dear Heart, the thought of you Is the pain at my side. " Here I get the feeling he is saying that this world has no heart and he is there because the world is a cruel place. He doesn't want to be there obviously, but he is, and he is sad.
The pain he speaks of is holding him back, and somehow I think the pain he is feeling is the person he is writing the poem to. He feels an emotional pain because he is leaving this one person who he obviously cares about a lot, behind. "And with a stronger faith embrace A sword, a horse, a shield. " Here we see that the soldier has in a way accepted that he has to go to fight, he goes on bravely, with in a way, a new lease of life. He has his religion, which many people turn to when they need help, and what seems like a lifesaver, his sword and horse and most importantly his shield.The soldier here has obviously had a sudden urge of bravery, he wasn't very positive in the first verse, but now he has mentioned his faith and his strong points, and now he is going off to battle.
It makes you hope for him that he'll be alright, but we know he probably won't survive. "The wind rises in the evening, Reminds that autumn is near. " The soldier here has remembered that the end is near; he knows that he is going to die, and now it is just a wait for the inevitable. It is quite a sad line as he has basically said that he will probably die, and there isn't long to go now.
There's a huge part of you that wants so much for him to make it and survive the war, he is being very brave, but we know the truth, and his chances are quite slim. In a way, here we can see he's being very negative about going to war, which is not surprising, but it makes you think he has already planned to die. This is also very sad, and makes you feel sorry for him. The last verse in the 'Lucasta' poem is a sad one. But it's hidden with the language which is not like how we speak nowadays.
"I could not love thee, Dear, so much, Loved I not Honour more.From this I get the feeling that he is saying his final goodbye to his loved one. It is clear from this last sentence that he loved her very much, and it is such a painful experience for him to have to leave and lose her. It is a sad ending, and from the final verse, you can see for definite that he didn't want to leave this person, but he had to, for his country. The second to last verse in the second poem sets the final scene of where he is going. He is now on his way to war, and in his sights is the battlefield.
"Think so kindly, my dear, that I Sense you at my side. From this line we are told that he can feel this person with him all the time, even though he is about to go to war and die for his country, he remembers her, and this keeps him safe.Sometimes the memory of a person you love is something you cherish more than you would think, and here is a prime example that her memory will help him through this difficult and horrifying ordeal. The final verse for this poem is also a very sad and moving one. He hasn't completely written off coming home, but it is very probable, so he tells her not to forget him.
"And if bad luck should lay my strength Into the shallow grave. He is saying here that it's not definite that he won't return, but if he doesn't then it's just a case of bad luck."Remember all the good you can; Don't forget my love. " Now, to finish off the verse, he is saying that if he doesn't return then not to forget him, as he knows he will most definitely not forget her. He wants her to remember the good and happy times they shared, which makes sense, and now as he goes off to fight, he leaves with his memories of her.
All in all, these two poems bring across a wonderful but sad ending to two brave soldiers' lives.You get the feeling that both soldiers loved the woman they were writing to with a passion and you hope that they did make it in the end, but we will never know. Poems such as these give a different spin on going to war and the awful experiences they all faced. They make you think about the other side of the war, the people they left behind. I have never read a poem about the loved ones the soldiers left behind, and the longing the soldiers felt for them whilst they were there.
It gives me a new way of looking at the war, making it seem that bit more tragic.
