Joseph Lee
The dead spake together last night,
And one to the other said:
‘Why are we dead?’
They turned them face to face about
In the place where they were laid:
‘Why are we dead?’
‘This is the sweet, sweet month o’ May,
And the grass is green o’erhead –
Why are we dead?
‘The grass grows green on the long, long tracks
That I shall never tread –
Why are we dead?
‘The lamp shines like the glow-worm spark,
From the bield where I was bred –
Why am I dead?
The other spake: ‘I’ve wife and weans,
Yet I lie in this waesome bed –
Why am I dead?
‘O, I hae wife and weans at hame,
And they clamour loud for bread –
Why am I dead?’
Quoth the first: ‘I have a sweet, sweetheart,
And this night we should hae wed –
Why am I dead?
‘And I can see another man
Will mate her in my stead,
Now I am dead.’
They turned them back to back about
In the grave where they were laid –
‘Why are we dead?’
‘I mind o’ a field, a foughten field,
Where the bluid ran routh and red
Now I am dead.’
‘I mind o’ a field, a stricken field,
And a waeful wound that bled –
Now I am dead.’
They turned them on their backs again,
As when their souls had sped,
And nothing further said.
………………………………….
The dead spake together last night,
And each to the other said,
‘Why are we dead?’
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This poem, “The Dead Spake Together Last Night,” creates a haunting and poignant reflection on the futility and senselessness of death in war. Through the voices of two dead soldiers conversing in the afterlife, the poem presents the soldiers’ bewilderment and sorrow over their untimely deaths. The recurring question, “Why are we dead?” highlights the confusion and deep sense of loss, as the soldiers struggle to comprehend the reason for their deaths, especially given that they are taken in the prime of life, in the midst of unfulfilled dreams and responsibilities.
The structure of the poem reinforces the cyclical, unresolved nature of war and death. The dialogue between the two dead soldiers is framed as an eternal conversation that can never be answered. The repetition of the question “Why are we dead?” emphasizes the absurdity of their fate and the incomprehensible nature of the violence that claimed their lives. Each verse captures a different aspect of their life before death, adding layers of personal loss and tragedy.
The imagery in the poem is rich and evocative, with nature being used to contrast the soldiers’ deaths. “This is the sweet, sweet month o’ May, / And the grass is green o’erhead” introduces the life and vibrancy of the world that the soldiers will never experience again. The fact that they are dead while life continues around them—flowers bloom, the grass grows, and lamps glow—adds to the poignancy. The soldiers are trapped in a state of death while the world they once knew carries on without them.
The soldiers’ lamentation is not just about their own deaths, but also about the lives they have been ripped from. One soldier grieves for his sweetheart, left behind to marry another in his stead, while the other mourns his wife and children who “clamour loud for bread.” The soldiers’ lives were cut short before they could fulfill their roles in their families and relationships, and these lost futures are what haunt them most. The poem’s repeated emphasis on the unfulfilled promises of life—love, family, marriage—stresses the deep unfairness of their deaths.
Another striking feature of the poem is the soldiers’ recollections of battle. “I mind o’ a field, a foughten field,” one of them says, “Where the bluid ran routh and red.” The battlefield is not romanticized, but rather depicted as a “stricken field” where death and suffering were the only realities. The soldiers’ wounds are not only physical but emotional, with the “waeful wound” representing both their physical injuries and the emotional scars they carry from having been sent to die for a cause they likely never fully understood. The poem doesn’t dwell on heroism or patriotism, but on the tragic waste of life and the indifference of war to the individual.
The closing lines of the poem bring a chilling resolution to the soldiers’ dialogue. After recounting their lost lives, their loves, and their violent deaths, they “turn back to back” in the grave, “as when their souls had sped,” and “nothing further said.” The lack of closure in this final gesture—of both soldiers returning to their original positions, still asking “Why are we dead?”—underscores the senselessness of their deaths and the futility of trying to find meaning in a world that took them before their time. Their final silence is a grim acknowledgment that no answer will ever come, and that war’s violence leaves nothing behind but empty questions.
Ultimately, this poem is a meditation on the senselessness of war and the devastating impact it has on individuals. It gives voice to the dead, allowing them to speak for those who can no longer speak for themselves, asking the question “Why are we dead?” not just as an existential query, but as a cry of protest against the arbitrary nature of their deaths. Through the simple, repetitive structure and the powerful emotional resonance of the soldiers’ lament, the poem invites readers to reflect on the personal and universal costs of war—costs that are often forgotten when victory and glory are the focus. The poem, in its quiet, unanswerable grief, asks us to remember the individuals behind the statistics and the human lives lost in the machinery of war.