Robert Nichols
In a far field, away from England, lies
A Boy I friended with a care like love;
All day the wide earth aches, the cold wind cries,
The melancholy clouds drive on above.
There, separate from him by a little span,
Two eagle cousins, generous, reckless, free,
Two Grenfells, lie, and my Boy is made man,
One with these elder knights of chivalry.
Boy, who expected not this dreadful day,
Yet leaped, a soldier, at the sudden call,
Drank as your fathers, deeper though than they,
The soldier’s cup of anguish, blood, and gall,
Not now as friend, but as a soldier, I
Salute you fallen; for the Soldier’s name
Our greatest honour is, if worthily
These wayward hearts assume and bear the same:
The Soldier’s is a name none recognize,
Saving his fellows. Deeds are all his flower.
He lives, he toils, he suffers, and he dies,
And if not all in vain this is his dower:
The Soldier is the Martyr of a nation,
Expresses but is subject to its will;
His is the Pride ennobles Resignation,
As his the rebel Spirit-to-fulfil.
Anonymous, he takes his country’s name,
Becomes its blindest vassal—though its lord
By force of arms; its shame is called his shame,
As its the glory gathered by his sword.
Lonely he is: he has nor friend nor lover,
Sith in his body he is dedicate….
His comrades only share his life, or offer
Their further deeds to one more heart oblate.
Living, he’s made an ‘Argument Beyond’
For others’ peace; but when hot wars have birth,
For all his brothers’ safety becomes bond
To Fate or Whatsoever sways this Earth.
Dying, his mangled body, to inter it,
He doth bequeath him into comrade hands;
His soul he renders to some Captain Spirit
That knows, admires, pities, and understands!
All this you knew by that which doth reside
Deeper than learning; by apprehension
Of ancient, dark, and melancholy pride
You were a Soldier true, and died as one.
All day the cold wind cries, the clouds unroll;
But to the cloud and wind I cry, “Be still!”
What need of comfort has the heroic soul?
What soldier finds a soldier’s grave is chill?
Lawford,
September, 1916.
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This poem is a powerful meditation on the nature of soldiering, particularly in the context of the First World War. The speaker reflects on the death of a friend, who has become a soldier, and in the process, explores the complex relationship between comradeship, sacrifice, and the often anonymous identity of the soldier.
The opening lines immediately set a tone of sorrow and distance, with the speaker contemplating the wide, aching earth and the cold, melancholic winds. The Boy, once a close companion, now lies in a far field, separated by both physical and emotional distance. The phrase “separate from him by a little span” suggests a sense of the almost incomprehensible gap between life and death, the living and the fallen. The image of the “two eagle cousins” lying alongside him in death evokes a sense of nobility and sacrifice, as they join the ranks of “elder knights of chivalry,” men who have made similar sacrifices in the past.
The speaker then shifts focus to the Boy’s transition into manhood through the experience of war. There is an acknowledgment of the brutal reality of war, with the Boy drinking “the soldier’s cup of anguish, blood, and gall,” which is described as deeper than what previous generations of soldiers might have known. This highlights the heightened intensity and the cost of modern warfare. The speaker, who once was a friend, now becomes a fellow soldier, saluting the fallen comrade. There is a solemn understanding that the “Soldier’s name” is one that is honored only by those who share the same burden, and this is a name marked by suffering and sacrifice, rather than personal recognition.
The poem delves deeply into the concept of the soldier as both a subject of the nation’s will and a symbol of pride and resignation. The soldier is described as “anonymous,” carrying the weight of his country’s honor, shame, and glory without recognition or reward. The paradox of the soldier’s role is revealed: he is both a servant and a master—enslaved by the demands of war yet exalted by the sacrifice he makes. The line “The Soldier is the Martyr of a nation” encapsulates this idea, positioning the soldier’s suffering and death as a form of selfless devotion to something larger than himself.
The soldier, it seems, is isolated not only in death but in life, with “nor friend nor lover” to stand by him. His comrades are his only connection, and it is through them that he gains meaning and purpose. The “Argument Beyond” refers to the soldier’s role in war as one that serves as a justification for the peace and safety of others, even as his own life becomes a pawn in a larger political and military struggle. In death, the soldier’s body is “bequeathed” to his comrades, and his soul is entrusted to a higher, almost mystical figure—a “Captain Spirit” who understands the gravity of his sacrifice.
The poem ends with the speaker addressing the wind and clouds, urging them to be still, as the soldier’s soul is beyond comfort. The speaker declares that the heroic soul, even in death, finds no chill in the grave. There is an acceptance of the soldier’s fate, an acknowledgment of the nobility of his sacrifice, and a reverence for his role in the greater narrative of the war. The final lines, “What soldier finds a soldier’s grave is chill?” emphasize the idea that the soldier’s death is not one of despair but one of honor.
In conclusion, this poem grapples with the tension between the personal loss of a comrade and the collective identity of the soldier. It portrays the soldier not as an individual, but as a representative of a larger, often anonymous, sacrifice. Through the poet’s powerful language and imagery, the reader is invited to contemplate the loneliness, sacrifice, and unacknowledged heroism of soldiers, whose lives and deaths are shaped by forces beyond their control. The poem reflects a deep sense of reverence for the fallen soldier and the unspoken bond that exists between those who fight side by side.