Guillaume Apollinaire
Ropes made of cries
Sounds of bells across Europe
Centuries hung
Rails that bind nations
We are only two or three men
Free from all ties
Let us hold hands
Violent rain that combs the smoke
Ropes
Woven ropes
Submarine cables
Towers of Babel changed into bridges
Spiders—Pontiffs
All the lovers that a single link has bound
Other more tenuous links
White rays of light
Ropes and Concord
I write only to exalt you
O senses, O dear senses
Enemies of memory
Enemies of desire
Enemies of regret
Enemies of tears
Enemies of all that I still love
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This war poem uses the metaphor of “ropes” to explore human connection, memory, and the aftermath of conflict. The imagery shifts between the tangible and intangible, reflecting the poet’s complex feelings about the relationships between people, places, and events in the wake of war.
The opening lines set the tone with “Ropes made of cries,” immediately invoking a sense of suffering and the bonds that pain can create. The “sounds of bells across Europe” and “centuries hung” suggest the weight of history and the pervasive effects of war, echoing across time and space. The imagery of bells and the “rails that bind nations” captures the idea of historical events and national ties that both connect and confine.
The poem contrasts these heavy, binding forces with the image of “two or three men / Free from all ties.” This shift suggests the fleeting, fragile nature of human freedom in the context of larger societal and historical forces. The act of holding hands—simple, intimate, and human—becomes a symbolic gesture of solidarity and resistance against these overwhelming ties.
The middle of the poem introduces a more complex imagery of “violent rain,” “smoke,” and “submarine cables,” which evoke the destructive forces of war and the ongoing impact of these forces on human connection. The metaphor of “Towers of Babel changed into bridges” suggests both the collapse of communication and understanding and the potential for rebuilding and connection through conflict. The idea of “spiders” and “Pontiffs” introduces the figures of power and influence that shape these connections, for better or worse.
The poem then explores the “more tenuous links” between people and experiences, moving towards “white rays of light,” which suggests moments of clarity or transcendence amid the confusion of war. “Ropes and Concord” hints at the fragile hope for peace and unity, despite the destruction.
The final stanzas turn inward, focusing on the poet’s own senses. The repeated reference to the senses as “enemies”—of memory, desire, regret, and tears—suggests a struggle with personal and collective pasts, and the ways in which war has altered or strained these connections. The senses, once a source of connection and understanding, are now agents of disconnection and alienation.
The poem ends with a reflection on love and loss, asking for exaltation not of war or victory, but of the raw human experience itself—the senses, in their direct engagement with the world, even as they become untrustworthy guides through the aftermath of war.
The poem is a meditation on the paradox of connection and disconnection, memory and loss, where the speaker grapples with the aftermath of war and its effect on the senses and on relationships. Through its rich imagery and shifting metaphors, the poem invites reflection on how individuals navigate the impact of conflict, not just on the world, but on the self.