Asleep in the Valley-Arthur Rimbaud-Summary-Analysis

    Asleep in the Valley-Arthur Rimbaud-Summary-Analysis

 

Asleep in the Valley-Arthur Rimbaud

The Poem

A small green valley where a slow stream flows

And leaves long strands of silver on the bright

Grass, from the mountain top stream the sun’s

Rays, they fill the hollow full of light

A soldier, very young, lies open-mouthed,

A pillow made of fern beneath his head

Asleep, stretched in the heavy undergrowth,

Pele in his warm, green, sun-soaked bed.

His feet among the flowers, his sleeps. His smile

is like an infant’s-gentle, without guile.

Ah, Nature, keep him warm; he may catch cold.

The humming insects don’t disturb his rest;

He sleeps in sunlight, one hand on his breast;

At peace. In his side there are two red holes.

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The poem in French

Le Dormeur du Val

C,est un trou de verdure ou chante une riviere

Accrochant follement aux herbes des haillons

D’argent; ou le soleil, de la montagne fiere,

Luit; c’est un petit val qui mousse de rayons.

Un soldat jeune, levre bouche ouverte, tete nue,

Et la nuque baignant dans le frais creasson bleu,

Dort; il est etendu dans l’herbe sous la nue,

Pale dans so lit vert ou la lumiere pleut.

Les pieds dans les glaieuls, il dort. Sourisant

Comme

Sourirait un enfant malade, il fait un somme;

Nature, barce-le chaudement; il a froid.

Les pieds dans les glaieuls, il dort. Souriant

Comme

Souririt un enfant malade, il fait un somme;

Nature, berce-le chaudement; il a froid.

Les parfums ne font pas frissonner sa narine;

II dort dans le soleil, la main sur sa poitrine,

Tranquille. Ll a deux trous rouges au cote droit.

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  ➤The poet 

         Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud usually known as Arthur Rimbaud was a famous French poet. In 1854 he was born in France. His  father was an infantry captain. The poet started writing at age of 15 and wrote several poems. But unfortunately at age 21, He stopped his writing and joined Duch Coloanial Army in 1981 he was died of bone cancer.

➤What is the Them of poem Asleep in the Valley ?

      In this lyrical poem the poet revels his anti-war attitude. Though there is no direct reference to war. As he was in army he was familiar with the horrors of war. Actually he wanted to remove war from our civilization, So we can say that its anti-war poem.

➤Analysis of the poem Asleep in the Valley .

           First of all  the French title of the poem is-LE Dormeur Du-Val, And it was translated in English by paul Schmidt.

          This  sonnet written in the Petrarchan sonnet form with two stanza consisting of four line each in the Octave and two stanza consisting of three line in Sestet. Following Rhyme scheme- abcb  befe  ggh  iij

         

          The poem opens with a beautiful view of a valley where a young soldier is found sleeping peacefully. The surrounding atmosphere is extremely beautiful. A small stream flows beside the valley and it looks like a silver strap. Bright sun rays fall from the mountaintop. Variety of flowers enrich the valley, But the last line reveals the solder's death as we find two bullet wounds in his body.

To the poet, war is nothing but the wastage of life. It stops the wheel progress of a nation. If he remains alive he might contribute to the world with some noble ideas but a death in a beautiful sunlight is hardly unexpected.

➤Point of view

The poem is very beautiful until the final touch in the last line. After describing the beautiful valley the poet notices the two big hole in the body of the soldier ,then the poet  realized the soldier as dead one.Through this poem the poet wants to teach us the futility of war which is totally meaningless to the world.

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