Analysis of Thomas Hardy's "In Time of The Breaking of Nations" : Glorious Triumph of Love and Life
War brings about variegated changes in the social, political and economic life of a nation. But even in the midst of these changes the basic preoccupations of life go on unchanged and undisturbed. The snap shots of the daily life are here given in the three stanzas of the poem. Read More Poetry
“Only a man harrowing clods
In a slow silent walk
With an old horse that stumbles and nods
Half asleep as they stalk.”
The burning of couch grass in the second stanza suggests the continuity of human labour. The smoke is described as lacking flame, implying that it lacks the destructive force associated with fire. This image represents the persistence of ordinary life and its continuity despite the rise and fall of ruling dynasties and the passing of time. It suggests that the simple, mundane aspects of existence will persist beyond the grand political dramas that shape nations. It is not disrupted even by the rise and fall of kings, rulers and ruling dynasts:
“Only thin smoke without flame
From the heaps of couch-grass;
Yet this will go onward the same
Though Dynasties pass.”
Last but not the least, the picture of the two young lovers whispering words of love to each other suggests eternal flow of love. War’s annals will fade, but the story of love and lovers never sink into oblivion. Read More Poetry Hardy introduces a maid and her "wight," a term meaning a person or creature. They are depicted whispering, suggesting an intimate and private connection between them. The speaker states that the stories of war will fade away into obscurity before the tale of the maid and her companion is forgotten. This image highlights the enduring nature of personal relationships and the love that sustains individuals even in the face of the erasure of historical records.The force of love sustains life even in the midst of the terror of war:
“Yonder a maid and her wight
Come whispering by:
War's annals will cloud into night
Ere their story die.”
In Time of 'The Breaking of Nations' has a simplicity of diction and rhythmic in sounds. Read More Poetry The ballad form of abab end-rhyme scheme creates a folk lore tradition in this poem. Again, here Hardy has recorded the eternal truths of life not with romantic exuberance, but with classical restrain. Overall, Hardy's poem conveys a sense of hope and resilience in the face of conflict and upheaval. It celebrates the steadfastness of everyday life and the power of love to transcend the transitory nature of human events. Despite the breaking of nations and the passing of dynasties, the poem suggests that love and life endure, offering a glimmer of light and hope in the darkness of the world.
References
The Poetry Of Thomas Hardy : Thomas Hardy : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/lp_the-poetry-of-thomas-hardy_thomas-hardy-richard-burton
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Hardy never explained anything about the young ones,so why we describe them as they have gone to work?
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for this beautiful question.
ReplyDeleteThe poem does not explicitly state that the young ones are missing. The focus of the poem is not on the absence or presence of the young ones, but rather on the enduring power of love and life in the face of the breaking of nations. The young ones are not directly mentioned or described in the poem. The images presented in the poem, such as the old man ploughing and the maid and her companion, serve to highlight the persistence of everyday life and personal connections amidst the upheavals of war and political changes. Therefore, it would be speculative to suggest that the young ones are missing or gone to war.
In the third stanza of Thomas Hardy's poem "In Time of The Breaking of Nations," the speaker refers to a maid and her "wight" who come whispering by. Hardy does not explicitly explain who these individuals are or what they are doing. Therefore, any interpretation regarding their occupation, such as going to work, would be speculative and not directly supported by the text. The focus of the stanza is on the lasting impact of personal relationships rather than specific actions or circumstances.
Again, war is referenced indirectly, emphasizing its eventual fading into obscurity. The speaker suggests that the annals or records of war will "cloud into night" before the story of the maid and her companion is forgotten. This implies that the tales and accounts of war, with all their violence and destruction, will eventually lose their significance and be overshadowed by the enduring power of personal relationships and love. War serves as a backdrop to highlight the resilience and longevity of human connections rather than being the central focus of the poem.