Guillaume Apollinaire
The curl of black hair on the nape of your neck is my treasure
My thoughts reach you and yours cross it
Your breasts are the only shells I love
Your memory is the spotting lantern that we use to
point at night
Seeing the broad rump of my horse I thought of your
hips
Here are the infantrymen going to the rear reading a
newspaper
The stretcher-bearer’s dog comes back with a pipe in its
mouth
A tawny owl wings dull eyes little
cat’s mouth and cat’s paws
A green mouse darts among the moss
The rice has burned in the camp pot
That means we have to be careful of many things
The megaphone shouts
Extend the shot
Extend the shot love of your batteries
Balance of the heavy cymbals
That the cherubs shake mad with love
In honor of the God of Armies
A bare tree on a hillock
The noise of the tractors climbing in the valley
Oh old world of 19th century full of tall chimneys
so beautiful and so pure
Virility of the century we are in
Oh cannons
Bursting casings of 75 shells
Ring out piously
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This war poem captures the stark contrast between personal, intimate moments and the harsh, mechanical realities of war. It opens with vivid imagery that connects the poet’s love and yearning to the battlefield: “The curl of black hair on the nape of your neck is my treasure.” This sentiment is both tender and intense, hinting at the speaker’s deep emotional connection to the person they long for. However, the subsequent shift to the imagery of war—”Your breasts are the only shells I love”—blends the personal with the violent, merging love and conflict in a striking and jarring way.
As the poem progresses, the transition from the intimacy of love to the dehumanizing aspects of war becomes even more apparent. “The infantrymen going to the rear reading a newspaper” is a moment of disconnection from the immediate dangers of war. This brief, almost mundane scene contrasts sharply with the tension of the frontline, highlighting the strange normalcy that persists amid the chaos. The juxtaposition of everyday activities with the backdrop of war suggests the emotional distance that soldiers may have to create in order to endure the horrors around them.
The mention of “the stretcher-bearer’s dog” returning with a pipe in its mouth is another potent symbol of the strange coexistence of the mundane and the traumatic. The dog, often associated with loyalty and companionship, here serves as a reminder of the casualties of war and the mechanical role that animals, like the soldiers, are forced to play. The image of the “tawny owl” with “dull eyes” and “cat’s mouth” also suggests a sense of weariness and detachment, as if the natural world itself is weighed down by the burden of war.
The image of the rice burning in the camp pot introduces a moment of disquiet, symbolizing the fragility of life during war—small details, like cooking rice, become significant markers of survival. The following line, “That means we have to be careful of many things,” captures the constant vigilance required in a warzone, where even the simplest actions can have life-or-death consequences.
The later references to “heavy cymbals” and “the God of Armies” suggest a ritualistic, almost ceremonial view of war, evoking the feeling of worship or devotion. This metaphysical imagery contrasts with the reality of war, which is far from divine. The “bare tree on a hillock” and “the noise of the tractors climbing in the valley” are images that echo a sense of barren desolation—nature’s quiet response to the violence around it.
Finally, the closing lines, “Oh cannons / Bursting casings of 75 shells / Ring out piously,” provide a chilling conclusion to the poem. The pious tone here is deeply ironic, as it contrasts the sacrificial nature of war with its destructive reality. The shells, typically instruments of death, are framed as an act of worship, amplifying the sense of disillusionment and moral ambiguity inherent in the act of war.
This poem explores the emotional turmoil of a soldier caught between love and the brutalizing forces of war. It employs a stark contrast between personal longing and the chaos of the battlefield, showing how deeply personal emotions are affected by the violence and the machinery of war. Through its blending of the mundane, the intimate, and the violent, the poem reveals the emotional complexities of wartime experience, portraying war as a force that distorts and manipulates all aspects of life.