Guillaume Apollinaire
My desire is the region that is in front of me
Behind the Boche lines
My desire is also behind me
After the army zone
My desire is the Mesnil hill
My desire is there on which I shoot
From my desire that is beyond the army zone
I do not speak of it today but I think of it
Mesnil hill I imagine you in vain
Wires of machine guns of enemies too sure
of themselves
Too deep underground already buried
It cracks you shots that die as they move away
While watching there late at night
The Decauville that coughs
The corrugated iron in the rain
And in the rain my bourguignotte
Hear the vehement earth
See the lights before hearing the shots
And such a shell whistle of madness
Or the monotonous and brief tac tac tac full of disgust
I want To
squeeze you in my hand Hand of Massiges
So emaciated on the map
The Goethe trench where I shot
I have pulled even on the gut Nietzsche
I definitely don’t respect any glory
Violent and violet and dark night and full of gold at
times
Night of men only
Night of September 24
Tomorrow the assault
Violent night oh night whose terrible deep cry
became more intense from minute to minute
Night that cried like a woman giving birth
Night of men only
© by owner. provided at no charge for educational purposes
You may find this and other poems here.
Analysis (AI Assisted)
This war poem takes the reader through the fragmented, tumultuous thoughts and feelings of a soldier as he navigates the duality of desire and violence, both on the battlefield and in his own psyche. The poem starts with an intense sense of longing, as the soldier describes his desire for a location that is physically distant yet emotionally present. “My desire is the region that is in front of me / Behind the Boche lines” reveals a yearning that transcends mere geographic boundaries, suggesting a deeper emotional attachment to both the land and the battle.
The speaker’s desire is further complicated by the line, “My desire is also behind me / After the army zone.” This tension between forward and backward, between progress and retreat, creates a psychological distance between the soldier and his longing, emphasizing a sense of being trapped between past and present, longing and loss.
“Mesnil hill,” mentioned as both a literal and metaphorical space of desire, becomes a central image in the poem. The hill is not only a military objective, but also a site of emotional and physical conflict. The soldier expresses frustration with the futility of his desires, as the harsh realities of war shape his understanding of what is possible. The line “Mesnil hill I imagine you in vain” captures this futility and the inability to fulfill his yearnings, as the battlefield makes such desires seem irrelevant and unattainable.
The juxtaposition of personal desires and the horrors of war continues as the soldier reflects on the physical space around him. The references to the “Decauville” and “corrugated iron in the rain” set a grim, oppressive atmosphere, where the monotonous and repetitive nature of war is evident. The “bourguignotte” (a type of French military vehicle) and the sounds of the “vehement earth” further deepen the poem’s bleak, visceral tone. These images are not just scenes of war but also reflections of the soldier’s inner turmoil and confusion.
The imagery of shells and gunfire is equally brutal, and it adds to the dissonance between the soldier’s physical surroundings and his internal state. The “whistle of madness” and “monotonous and brief tac tac tac full of disgust” capture the dehumanizing, repetitive nature of warfare. The soldier’s desire, once rooted in physical spaces and human connections, becomes overshadowed by the sensory overload of violence.
The references to Nietzsche and Goethe in the latter part of the poem suggest a philosophical reckoning, as the soldier contemplates the meaning of glory, suffering, and heroism in a war that seems to defy any clear moral framework. “I have pulled even on the gut Nietzsche / I definitely don’t respect any glory” points to the futility of conventional ideas about heroism, pride, or glory in the face of the relentless violence that surrounds the soldier. This moment of nihilistic introspection suggests that the soldier no longer believes in the lofty ideals of war, instead confronting the harsh reality of suffering and death.
The final lines, which describe a “violent night” filled with “terrible deep cry,” reinforce the sense of chaos and emotional exhaustion. The night becomes a metaphor for the soldier’s state of mind: a place of intense suffering, struggle, and an overwhelming sense of isolation. The comparison of the night to a woman giving birth—”Night that cried like a woman giving birth”—suggests that the soldier is witnessing the painful, almost primal process of creation and destruction, where life and death are inextricably intertwined.
Ultimately, this poem reflects the disillusionment and trauma of a soldier caught in the brutal machinery of war. The speaker’s desire for personal connection and meaning in the midst of violence is undermined by the senselessness and horror of battle. The soldier’s longing, once innocent, becomes tainted by the endless cycle of violence, where no desires—whether for land, glory, or peace—seem achievable or even relevant. This disillusionment is a key theme, suggesting that war does not only kill bodies, but also the very essence of human desire and connection.