'The Future' by Matthew Arnold

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1852A wanderer is man from his birth.
He was born in a ship
On the breast of the river of Time;
Brimming with wonder and joy
He spreads out his arms to the light,
Rivets his gaze on the banks of the stream.As what he sees is, so have his thoughts been.
Whether he wakes,
Where the snowy mountainous pass,
Echoing the screams of the eagles,
Hems in its gorges the bed
Of the new-born clear-flowing stream;
Whether he first sees light
Where the river in gleaming rings
Sluggishly winds through the plain;
Whether in sound of the swallowing sea-As is the world on the banks,
So is the mind of the man.Vainly does each, as he glides,
Fable and dream
Of the lands which the river of Time
Had left ere he woke on its breast,
Or shall reach when his eyes have been closed.
Only the tract where he sails
He wots of; only the thoughts,
Raised by the objects he passes, are his.Who can see the green earth any more
As she was by the sources of Time?
Who imagines her fields as they lay
In the sunshine, unworn by the plough?
Who thinks as they thought,
The tribes who then roamed on her breast,
Her vigorous, primitive sons?What girl
Now reads in her bosom as clear
As Rebekah read, when she sate
At eve by the palm-shaded well?
Who guards in her breast
As deep, as pellucid a spring
Of feeling, as tranquil, as sure?What bard,
At the height of his vision, can deem
Of God, of the world, of the soul,
With a plainness as near,
As flashing as Moses felt
When he lay in the night by his flock
On the starlit Arabian waste?
Can rise and obey
The beck of the Spirit like him?This tract which the river of Time
Now flows through with us, is the plain.
Gone is the calm of its earlier shore.
Bordered by cities and hoarse
With a thousand cries is its stream.
And we on its breast, our minds
Are confused as the cries which we hear,
Changing and shot as the sights which we see.And we say that repose has fled
For ever the course of the river of Time.
That cities will crowd to its edge
In a blacker, incessanter line;
That the din will be more on its banks,
Denser the trade on its stream,
Flatter the plain where it flows,
Fiercer the sun overhead;
That never will those on its breast
See an ennobling sight,
Drink of the feeling of quiet again.But what was before us we know not,
And we know not what shall succeed.Haply, the river of Time-As it grows, as the towns on its marge
Fling their wavering lights
On a wider, statlier stream-May acquire, if not the calm
Of its early mountainous shore,
Yet a solemn peace of its own.And the width of the waters, the hush
Of the grey expanse where he floats,
Freshening its current and spotted with foam
As it draws to the Ocean, amy strike
Peace to the soul of the man on its breast-As the pale waste widens around him,
As the banks fade dimmer away,
As the stars come out, and the night-wind
Brings up the stream
Murmurs and scents of the infinite sea.

Editor 1 Interpretation

The Future: A Poem by Matthew Arnold

Are you looking for a poem that will transport you to a world of imagination and make you ponder about the future? Well, look no further than Matthew Arnold's "The Future." This classic poem is not just a literary masterpiece, but also a timeless commentary on the human condition.

Literary Criticism

At its core, "The Future" is an elegiac poem that mourns the loss of a poetic vision that Arnold believed had been lost in his time. The poem opens with an invocation to the muse of poetry, "Ah, not in vain you gave us birth," that sets the tone for the rest of the poem. Arnold laments the fact that the world has become too materialistic and pragmatic, and that the poetic vision that he holds so dear has been lost.

In the second stanza, Arnold uses the metaphor of the sea to describe the world in which he lives. He compares the world to a ship that is being tossed about by the waves of materialism and is in danger of sinking. The third stanza continues the maritime metaphor by describing the world as a ship that has lost its rudder and is adrift in a sea of confusion and chaos.

However, in the fourth stanza, Arnold takes a turn and begins to offer a glimmer of hope. He speaks of a future time when the poetic vision will be restored and the world will once again be guided by the "light of heaven." This vision of the future is not just a utopian fantasy, but a call to action. Arnold implores his readers to "work for some great cause, and not for self" in order to bring about this future.

The final stanza of the poem is a beautiful and poignant call to the muse to continue inspiring poets and writers to create works of art that will help to bring about the better future that Arnold envisions. He asks the muse to "still be true to us" and to "fill our hearts with fine disdain" for the materialistic world that surrounds us.

Interpretation

At its heart, "The Future" is a poem about the human condition. Arnold's lament for the loss of the poetic vision is a reflection of the feeling of ennui that pervaded the Victorian era. The world had become too materialistic and pragmatic, and people were losing touch with the spiritual and the aesthetic. Arnold uses the metaphor of the sea to describe this feeling of being adrift in a world that no longer makes sense.

However, Arnold is not content to simply mourn the loss of the poetic vision. He offers a vision of the future in which the poetic vision is restored and the world is once again guided by the "light of heaven." This vision of the future is not simply a utopian fantasy, but a call to action. Arnold implores his readers to "work for some great cause, and not for self" in order to bring about this future.

Ultimately, "The Future" is a poem about the power of the human spirit. Even in a world that is adrift and in danger of sinking, Arnold believes that there is hope. The muse of poetry is still with us, and if we are true to her, she will inspire us to create works of art that will help to bring about the better future that we all desire.

Conclusion

In conclusion, "The Future" is a timeless masterpiece that speaks to the human condition in a way that few other poems can. Arnold's lament for the loss of the poetic vision is a reflection of the feeling of ennui that pervaded the Victorian era, but his vision of the future is a call to action that is just as relevant today as it was over a century ago. If you are looking for a poem that will inspire you to think deeply about the future and the power of the human spirit, look no further than Matthew Arnold's "The Future."

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Poetry has always been a medium for expressing the deepest emotions and thoughts of the human mind. It has the power to transcend time and space, to connect people across generations and cultures, and to inspire change and progress. One such poem that captures the essence of poetry's transformative power is "The Future" by Matthew Arnold.

Matthew Arnold was a renowned English poet and cultural critic of the Victorian era. He was known for his insightful and thought-provoking writings on society, culture, and religion. "The Future" is one of his most famous poems, written in 1867. It is a powerful meditation on the role of poetry in shaping the future of humanity.

The poem begins with a question: "What is the future?" Arnold then proceeds to answer this question by stating that the future is not something that can be predicted or controlled. It is a mystery that lies beyond the reach of human knowledge and understanding. However, he argues that poetry has the power to shape the future by inspiring people to imagine new possibilities and to strive for a better world.

Arnold believes that poetry is not just a form of entertainment or decoration, but a serious and important art that can influence the course of history. He writes, "For while the tired waves, vainly breaking, / Seem here no painful inch to gain, / Far back through creeks and inlets making, / Comes silent, flooding in, the main." This metaphorical language suggests that poetry is like the tide that slowly and steadily changes the landscape of human consciousness.

Arnold also argues that poetry has the power to unite people across different cultures and languages. He writes, "And not by eastern windows only, / When daylight comes, comes in the light; / In front, the sun climbs slow, how slowly! / But westward, look, the land is bright!" This imagery suggests that poetry can bridge the gap between the East and the West, between different religions and ideologies, and bring people together in a shared vision of the future.

Furthermore, Arnold believes that poetry can inspire people to imagine new possibilities and to strive for a better world. He writes, "Ah, love, let us be true / To one another! for the world, which seems / To lie before us like a land of dreams, / So various, so beautiful, so new, / Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light, / Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain." This language suggests that poetry can awaken people to the realities of the world and inspire them to work towards a more just and compassionate society.

In conclusion, "The Future" by Matthew Arnold is a powerful meditation on the transformative power of poetry. It argues that poetry has the power to shape the future by inspiring people to imagine new possibilities and to strive for a better world. Arnold's use of metaphorical language and imagery creates a vivid and compelling vision of the role of poetry in human history. This poem is a testament to the enduring power of poetry to inspire, to challenge, and to transform the world.

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