He was wounded and he fell in the midst of hoarse shouting.
The tide passed, and the waves came and whispered about his ankles.
Far off he heard a cock crow -- children laughing,
Rising at dawn to greet the storm of petals
Shaken from apple-boughs; he heard them cry,
And turned again to find the breast of her,
And sank confusèd with a little sigh...
Thereafter water running, and a voice
That seemed to stir and flutter through the trenches
And set dead lips to talking...
Wreckage was mingled with the storm of petals...
He felt her near him, and the weight dropped off --
Suddenly...
Far off he heard a cock crow -- children laughing,
Rising at dawn to greet the storm of petals
Shaken from apple-boughs; he heard them cry,
And turned again to find the breast of her,
And sank confusèd with a little sigh...
Thereafter water running, and a voice
That seemed to stir and flutter through the trenches
And set dead lips to talking...
Wreckage was mingled with the storm of petals...
He felt her near him, and the weight dropped off --
Suddenly...
Alice Corbin
At the beggining of 'Fallen' Corbin uses a free verse, this poem uses bold imagery to portray a life like scene to the reader, to enagage them and make them feel sympathy towards the dying soldier. Fallen uses positive imagery to evoke a tranquil enviroment when the soldier is reminiscing about his girlfriend/wife. The images surrounding the dying soldier is explict of nature. For example, "The great storm of petals" Corbin uses exaggeration when describing the petals to exaggerate the poignant scene. The atmosphere created is is sombre as it touches the reader deeply as he remembers his lover. In Fallen the soldier accepts that he is dying by letting nature absorb his life.
ReplyDeleteBy Lily Foreman
I agree with Lily, in addition to the point that Corbin uses bold like imagery to create a life like scene for the reader; she also creates a realistic situation that was very common within the war. Due to this the reader may feel as though they're in the mind set that the dying soldier was in, as they could relate the feeling of comfort that a loved one could bring within a tragic situation.
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