W.N. Hodgson
By all the glories of the day,
And the cool evening’s benison,
By that last sunset touch that lay,
Upon the hills when day was done,
By beauty lavishly outpoured,
And blessings carelessly received,
By all the days that I have lived,
Make me a soldier, Lord.
By all of man’s hopes and fears,
And all the wonders poets sing,
The laughter of unclouded years,
And every sad and lovely thing;
By the romantic ages stored
With high endeavour that was his,
By all his mad catastrophes
Make me a man, O Lord.
I, that on my unfamiliar hill
Saw with uncomprehending eyes
A hundred of thy sunsets spill
Their fresh and sanguine sacrifice,
Ere the sun swings his noonday sword
Must say good-bye to all of this;-
By all delights that I shall miss,
Help me to die, O Lord.
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
W.N. Hodgson’s *”Before Action”* is a deeply reflective poem that explores the emotional and spiritual turmoil of a soldier on the eve of battle. Written during World War I, the poem grapples with the weight of impending death, the loss of life’s simple beauties, and the tension between duty and fear. The speaker calls on God to grant him the strength to face his possible death with dignity, while also yearning for the joys and experiences he may never again know. Through a series of vivid images and appeals to higher powers, Hodgson crafts a poignant meditation on the fleeting nature of life and the sacrifices made in the name of war.
The poem begins with a series of strong, almost liturgical invocations: “By all the glories of the day, / And the cool evening’s benison.” These opening lines set the tone for the speaker’s request for strength, as he calls on the beauty of nature and the blessings of life. The references to “the last sunset touch” and “beauty lavishly outpoured” highlight the speaker’s appreciation for life’s simple, fleeting pleasures, which seem all the more precious in light of the war that looms. There’s an almost nostalgic yearning for the life the speaker is about to leave behind. He doesn’t ask for glory or valor; instead, he asks simply to be made a soldier through the recognition of life’s simple beauty and blessings.
In the second stanza, the speaker broadens his appeal to a more existential understanding of humanity, invoking “all of man’s hopes and fears,” as well as “the wonders poets sing.” Here, the speaker ties his personal experience to the collective human experience, acknowledging both the joys and sorrows that make life meaningful. The phrase “the laughter of unclouded years” stands in sharp contrast to the harshness of war, invoking a sense of innocence lost. Similarly, “every sad and lovely thing” acknowledges the depth of human experience, full of both beauty and hardship. By calling on the “romantic ages stored / With high endeavour,” the speaker appeals to the sense of historical legacy—past sacrifices and heroic deeds—that has shaped human identity. This emotional depth suggests that the speaker is not merely asking for personal strength but is also invoking the weight of human history and the broader significance of his own actions.
In the third stanza, however, the speaker’s mood shifts to a more sobering tone. He confronts the reality of death, acknowledging that, “I must say good-bye to all of this.” The “hundred of thy sunsets” that have passed represent experiences, joys, and milestones that the speaker will no longer be able to witness if he dies in battle. The word “sanguine” here has a dual meaning: it can refer to both the color of the sunset and the blood that may be spilled in the battle to come. The use of “sanguine sacrifice” invokes a sense of inevitability, as if the speaker has come to accept death as part of the sacrifice that war demands.
By the end of the poem, the speaker pleads, “Help me to die, O Lord.” This final request, while somber, is not one of despair but of resolve. It reflects an acceptance of the inevitable, yet a deep desire to face it with grace and dignity. The speaker’s prayer is not for salvation or for life to be spared, but for the strength to face death and the loss of all that is dear. This call for divine assistance signals a shift from an active plea for life to a humble surrender to fate.
The structure of the poem, with its steady rhythm and simple, direct language, mirrors the speaker’s calm acceptance of death. Each stanza builds on the one before, moving from a celebration of life to an acceptance of its loss. The repetition of “By all…” in each stanza gives the poem a liturgical, almost prayer-like quality, as if the speaker is reciting a litany of life’s joys and sorrows to make sense of the sacrifice he is about to make.
In terms of tone, *”Before Action”* conveys a mixture of reverence, nostalgia, and resignation. The speaker’s emotional journey from appreciation for life to acceptance of death mirrors the complex inner world of a soldier preparing for battle. While the first two stanzas are filled with a sense of longing for life’s beauty and human experience, the final stanza expresses an acceptance of the sacrifice that must be made. This progression from hope to acceptance reflects the emotional state of many soldiers during World War I, who were caught between the nobility of their duty and the painful awareness of the violence and death that awaited them.
Overall, Hodgson’s *“Before Action”* is a poignant and powerful reflection on the emotional landscape of soldiers during war. Through vivid imagery, prayerful tone, and a clear sense of resignation, the poem explores the personal sacrifice involved in answering the call to war. The speaker’s request for strength to die with dignity, as well as his yearning for the joys of life he might never experience again, underscores the human cost of war. In this sense, the poem not only reflects the inner conflict of the individual soldier but also serves as a meditation on the universal themes of life, death, and sacrifice.