Guillaume Apollinaire
To Emile Léonard
I enlisted under the most beautiful of skies
In Nice the Navy with the victorious name
Lost among 900 anonymous drivers
I am a carter of the new cart of Nîmes
Love says Stay here But over there the shells
Embrace ardently and ceaselessly the goals
I wait for spring to command that
the intrepid blue goes Towards the glorious north
The 3 seated servants nod their foreheads
Where their eyes shine as clear as my spurs
A beautiful afternoon of guard duty in the stable
I hear the artillery trumpets sound
I admire the gaiety of this detachment
Who is going to join our beautiful regiment at the front
The territorial eats a salad
With anchovies while talking about his sick wife
4 pointers stared at the bubbles of the levels
Which moved like the horses’ eyes
The good singer Girault sings us after 9 o’clock
A great opera aria you listening to him you cry
I caress with my hand the little gray cannon
Gray like the water of the Seine and I think of Paris
But this pale wounded man told me in the canteen
Shells in the night the Argentine splendor
I slowly chew my portion of beef
I walk alone in the evening from 5 to 9
I saddle my horse we beat the countryside
I greet you from afar beautiful rose oh Magne tower
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This poem, written in the form of a letter to “Emile Léonard,” captures the duality of a soldier’s experience during World War I—its mundane moments and its deeper emotional undercurrents. The speaker weaves together the ordinary details of military life with moments of reflection, all set against the backdrop of duty, camaraderie, and the ever-present shadow of war.
The opening lines evoke a sense of pride and purpose, as the speaker recalls enlisting under the beautiful skies of Nice. Yet, this idealistic start is quickly tempered by the anonymity of being “lost among 900 anonymous drivers,” a reminder of the individual’s smallness within the machinery of war. The speaker becomes “a carter of the new cart of Nîmes,” grounding their role in the practical, yet symbolic, labor of transporting a new era of conflict.
The poem contrasts moments of levity and routine—eating salad, watching horses, listening to opera arias—with the more haunting realities of war. The mention of shells “embracing ardently and ceaselessly the goals” adds a poetic layer to the violence, portraying it as both inevitable and deeply destructive. The wounded man’s reference to “shells in the night” and “the Argentine splendor” juxtaposes beauty with horror, underscoring the surreal nature of war.
Nature and place play significant roles in grounding the speaker’s reflections. The “little gray cannon” evokes both the river Seine and Paris, connecting the speaker to a sense of home and normalcy even amidst chaos. Similarly, the closing salute to “beautiful rose” and the “Magne tower” brings a touch of personal longing and admiration, as if holding onto fragments of beauty while facing the unknown.
The poem’s strength lies in its blending of the everyday with the profound. By sharing seemingly minor details—like the movement of bubbles or the chatter of comrades—the speaker humanizes the experience of war. These small moments contrast with the looming tension of the front, creating a poignant portrait of life during conflict. The poem reflects on resilience, connection, and the ways soldiers find meaning and beauty in fleeting moments amidst the chaos of war.