Ford Madox Ford
The little girls are singing, “Rin! Ron! Rin!”
The matin bell is ringing “Din! Don! Din!”
Thirty little girls, while it rains and shrapnel skirls
By the playground where the chapel bells are ringing.
The stout old nuns are walking,
Dance, little girls, beneath the din!
The four-point-ones are talking,
Form up, little girls, the school is in!
Seven stout old nuns and fourteen naval guns
All around the playground go on talking.
And, my darling, you are getting out of bed
Where the seven angels watched around your head,
With no shrapnel and no Huns
And no nuns or four-point-ones. . .
Getting up to catch the train,
Coming back to tea again
When the Angelus is sounding to the plain
And the statue shells are coming from the plain
And the little girls have trotted home again
In the rain . . .
Darling, darling, say one funny prayer again
For your true love who is waking in the rain.
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This poem seems to navigate the unsettling contrast between the innocence of childhood and the horrific realities of war, all while maintaining an almost childlike rhythm and tone that underscores the tension between the two worlds. The use of repetition with “Rin! Ron! Rin!” and “Din! Don! Din!” is reminiscent of nursery rhymes or schoolyard chants, bringing an almost surreal sense of innocence to a scene that is anything but innocent. The little girls singing and playing while “shrapnel skirls” outside the schoolyard creates a jarring juxtaposition between the mundanities of daily life and the violence of war.
The “stout old nuns” and the “naval guns” form a strange but fitting parallel as the poem moves through its various layers of meaning. The nuns, figures of authority and tradition, walk through the playground, perhaps offering some semblance of order, but their presence contrasts sharply with the “four-point-ones” – a reference to artillery guns. The fact that the girls are encouraged to “dance” beneath this “din” further highlights the tension, as they are, in a sense, shielded from the harshness of the war that surrounds them.
The second stanza shifts tone as the poet brings in a personal, tender note by addressing someone directly: “And, my darling, you are getting out of bed.” This sudden change in voice, from the chaotic, disjointed rhythm of the first stanza to the intimate, almost affectionate tone of the second, serves as a reminder that, while the war rages outside, there are still personal lives being lived, still moments of human connection and love amidst the surrounding violence. The reference to the “seven angels” watching over the loved one, alongside the stark contrast of “no shrapnel and no Huns,” further intensifies this separation of worlds—one untouched by war, the other irreversibly shaped by it.
The closing lines introduce a sense of nostalgia and longing. The loved one is “getting up to catch the train” and “coming back to tea again,” invoking a sense of normalcy and routine that seems almost foreign in the context of war. Yet even in this simplicity, the war is present in the background, with the “Angelus” sounding and “statue shells” coming from the plain. The everyday is imbued with a haunting reminder of the violence that pervades every aspect of life, even in the smallest, most domestic moments.
The final plea—”say one funny prayer again / For your true love who is waking in the rain”—brings the poem back to its intimate tone, filled with longing and affection, yet it still carries the weight of the war’s presence. The rain could symbolize a cleansing or a barrier between the two worlds, a reminder that even love and hope are not immune to the bleakness of the surrounding conflict.
Ultimately, this poem is both a meditation on the brutal impact of war on everyday life and a tender reflection on love and innocence amidst chaos. By juxtaposing the innocence of the children with the horrors of war, the poem underscores the ways in which the brutality of war seeps into every corner of life, even the most sheltered and seemingly untouched. It also shows how human connection, affection, and ritual—like the simple act of saying a prayer for a loved one—can provide some solace, even in the darkest of times.