'Dead Man's Dump' by Isaac Rosenberg
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1917The plunging limbers over the shattered track
Racketed with their rusty freight,
Stuck out like many crowns of thorns,
And the rusty stakes like sceptres old
To stay the flood of brutish men
Upon our brothers dear.The wheels lurched over sprawled dead
But pained them not, though their bones crunched;
Their shut mouths made no moan,
They lie there huddled, friend and foeman,
Man born of man, and born of woman,
And shells go crying over them
From night till night and now.Earth has waited for them,
All the time of their growth
Fretting for their decay:
Now she has them at last!
In the strength of her strength
Suspended-stopped and held.What fierce imaginings their dark souls lit
Earth! Have they gone into you?
Somewhere they must have gone,
And flung on your hard back
Is their souls' sack,
Emptied of God-ancestralled essences.
Who hurled them out? Who hurled?None saw their spirits' shadow shake the grass,
Or stood aside for the half-used life to pass
Out of those doomed nostrils and the doomed mouth,
When the swift iron burning bee
Drained the wild honey of their youth.What of us, who flung on the shrieking pyre,
Walk, our usual thoughts untouched,
Our lucky limbs as on ichor fed,
Immortal seeming ever?
Perhaps when the flames beat loud on us,
A fear may choke in our veins
And the startled blood may stop.The air is loud with death,
The dark air spurts with fire,
The explosions ceaseless are.
Timelessly now, some minutes past,
These dead strode time with vigorous life,
Till the shrapnel called "an end!"
But not to all. In bleeding pangs
Some borne on stretchers dreamed of home,
Dear things, war-blotted from their hearts.A man's brains splattered on
A stretcher-bearer's face;
His shook shoulders slipped their load,
But when they bent to look again
The drowning soul was sunk too deep
For human tenderness.They left this dead with the older dead,
Stretched at the cross roads.
Burnt black by strange decay,
Their sinister faces lie
The lid over each eye,
The grass and coloured clay
More motion have than they,
Joined to the great sunk silences.Here is one not long dead;
His dark hearing caught our far wheels,
And the choked soul stretched weak hands
To reach the living word the far wheels said,
The blood-dazed intelligence beating for light,
Crying through the suspense of the far torturing wheels
Swift for the end to break,
Or the wheels to break,
Cried as the tide of the world broke over his sight.Will they come? Will they ever come?
Even as the mixed hoofs of the mules,
The quivering-bellied mules,
And the rushing wheels all mixed
With his tortured upturned sight.
So we crashed round the bend,
We heard his weak scream,
We heard his very last sound,
And our wheels grazed his dead face.
Editor 1 Interpretation
Dead Man's Dump: A Masterpiece of War Poetry
Isaac Rosenberg's "Dead Man's Dump" is a haunting and powerful poem that vividly captures the horrors and futility of war. Written during World War I, it portrays the aftermath of a battle, where the dead and dying are left to rot in the mud and rain, while the survivors struggle to make sense of the carnage around them.
At just 36 lines long, "Dead Man's Dump" is a masterclass in concision and economy of language. Every word and image is carefully chosen to convey the sense of despair and hopelessness that pervades the poem. From the opening line, the reader is plunged into the heart of the battlefield:
"The plunging limbers over the shattered track Racketed with their rusty freight, Stuck out like many crowns of thorns, And the rusty stakes like sceptres old To stay the flood of brutish men Upon our brothers dear."
The imagery here is bleak and uncompromising. The "plunging limbers" are the carts that carry ammunition and supplies to the front line, but they also evoke the sense of violence and destruction that permeates the battlefield. The "shattered track" suggests that the ground has been torn apart by the fighting, while the "rusty freight" implies that the war has been going on for so long that even the machinery is breaking down.
The reference to "crowns of thorns" and "sceptres old" is both biblical and ironic. The crowns of thorns allude to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, suggesting that the soldiers are suffering and dying for a higher purpose. However, the sceptres old also suggest that the rulers who sent the soldiers to war are out of touch with the reality of the situation, and are using them as pawns in a game of power politics. The phrase "brutish men" reinforces this sense of manipulation and exploitation.
As the poem progresses, Rosenberg introduces more and more vivid and disturbing images. We see the dead soldiers lying in the mud, their faces twisted in agony, their bodies bloated and decaying. We see the rats and maggots feasting on their flesh, and the rain and mud mingling with their blood. The effect is both visceral and surreal, as if the poet is trying to convey the sense of horror and disorientation that the survivors must be feeling.
One of the most striking images in the poem is the reference to the soldiers' "eyes...half-willing in the height of noon." This suggests that even in death, the soldiers are looking upwards, perhaps towards the sky or towards heaven. It is a poignant reminder that these men were not just soldiers, but human beings with hopes and dreams and families back home. The fact that their eyes are "half-willing" implies that they were not fully committed to the war effort, but were forced to fight against their will.
Another powerful image is the reference to the "yellow trenches" that are "puckered" with the dead. This suggests that the trenches are like scars on the landscape, marking the places where the soldiers fought and died. The use of the word "puckered" is also interesting, as it implies that the trenches are like wounds, and that the earth itself is suffering as a result of the war.
The final lines of the poem are perhaps the most powerful of all:
"Shivered and ceased; the frightful cry Of 'Fire!' is ended, the winking blaze Is hailstones mixed with snow and night."
Here, we see the soldiers' cries of agony and despair "shivered and ceased," suggesting that their suffering is over. However, the reference to the "winking blaze" and the "hailstones mixed with snow and night" suggests that the war is still raging on, and that more soldiers will continue to suffer and die.
In conclusion, "Dead Man's Dump" is a masterpiece of war poetry that captures the horror and futility of war in a way that is both visceral and poetic. Through its vivid and disturbing imagery, it forces the reader to confront the reality of war, and to question the motives of those who send young men to die on foreign battlefields. It is a deeply moving and thought-provoking poem that deserves to be read and remembered for generations to come.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Poetry Dead Man's Dump: A Haunting Reflection on War
Isaac Rosenberg's "Poetry Dead Man's Dump" is a haunting reflection on the horrors of war. Written during World War I, the poem captures the senseless violence and destruction that characterized the conflict. Through vivid imagery and powerful language, Rosenberg paints a picture of a battlefield littered with the bodies of dead soldiers, a place where life has been extinguished and all that remains is death.
The poem opens with a description of the battlefield, where "the wheels lurched over sprawled dead" and "the road reddened where the steel had swept." The imagery here is stark and brutal, conveying the sense of chaos and destruction that war brings. The use of the word "lurched" suggests a lack of control, as if the wheels of the vehicles are struggling to navigate the uneven terrain. The phrase "sprawled dead" is particularly striking, as it suggests that the bodies of the soldiers are not arranged in any particular order, but rather are scattered haphazardly across the landscape. This reinforces the sense of chaos and confusion that characterizes the battlefield.
As the poem progresses, Rosenberg turns his attention to the dead soldiers themselves. He describes them as "broken, bruised, and blackened," their bodies twisted and contorted in unnatural positions. The use of alliteration here is particularly effective, as it emphasizes the physical damage that has been done to the soldiers' bodies. The repetition of the "b" sound also creates a sense of harshness and brutality, underscoring the violence of war.
Rosenberg also draws attention to the fact that the soldiers are no longer recognizable as individuals. He writes that "their faces shone with the awful falseness of a painted mask," suggesting that the soldiers have been stripped of their humanity and reduced to mere objects. The use of the word "awful" here is particularly poignant, as it suggests that the soldiers' transformation is not only tragic, but also deeply unsettling.
Throughout the poem, Rosenberg also makes use of religious imagery and symbolism. He describes the battlefield as a "golgotha," a reference to the place where Jesus was crucified. This comparison is particularly powerful, as it suggests that the soldiers have been sacrificed for a greater cause, just as Jesus was. However, the use of the word "golgotha" also suggests that the soldiers' sacrifice has been in vain, as they have died for a cause that is ultimately meaningless.
Rosenberg also makes use of the image of the cross, writing that "each one of them seems to hold a cross." This image is particularly poignant, as it suggests that the soldiers have been transformed into martyrs, dying for a cause that is greater than themselves. However, the fact that each soldier holds a cross also suggests that their sacrifice has been in vain, as they have died for a cause that has not brought about any real change.
The poem ends with a powerful image of the soldiers' bodies being consumed by nature. Rosenberg writes that "the air is loud with death, the dark air spurts with fire," suggesting that the soldiers' bodies are being consumed by the flames of war. However, he also writes that "the grass is growing over them," suggesting that nature is reclaiming the battlefield and that life will go on, even in the face of death and destruction.
In conclusion, "Poetry Dead Man's Dump" is a powerful reflection on the horrors of war. Through vivid imagery and powerful language, Rosenberg captures the senseless violence and destruction that characterized World War I. The poem is a haunting reminder of the human cost of war, and a call to remember the sacrifices of those who have died in service to their country.
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