Villanelle (Roland Leighton)
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Laurence
Feb 6, 2009, 8:42:42 AM2/6/09
to World War One Literature
Hello everybody
a few weeks ago our teacher gave us the task to discuss about certain
war poems. My poem was "Villanelle" written by Roland Leighton. I'd
like to share my thoughts with the rest of you and I also like to hear
your meaning about it.
Violets from Plug Street Wood---
Sweet, I send you oversea.
(It is strange they should be blue,
Blue when his soaked blood was red;
For they grew around his head.
It is strange they should be blue.)
Violets from Plug Street Wood---
Think what they have meant to me!
Life and Hope and Love and You.
(And you did not see them grow
Where his mangled body lay,
Hiding horror from the day.
Sweetest, it was better so.)
Violets from oversea,
To your dear, far, forgetting land:
These I send in memory,
Knowing You will understand.
I have a question about the last stanza; in this particular stanza he
calls England "far,forgetting land"
In my opinion he wants to make clear that in England the common people
don't give a damn about the soldiers fighting in Flanders etc. they
don't feel it is war because they don't see it in their own country.
I'd like to hear your thoughts about this.
greets
Laurence
a few weeks ago our teacher gave us the task to discuss about certain
war poems. My poem was "Villanelle" written by Roland Leighton. I'd
like to share my thoughts with the rest of you and I also like to hear
your meaning about it.
Violets from Plug Street Wood---
Sweet, I send you oversea.
(It is strange they should be blue,
Blue when his soaked blood was red;
For they grew around his head.
It is strange they should be blue.)
Violets from Plug Street Wood---
Think what they have meant to me!
Life and Hope and Love and You.
(And you did not see them grow
Where his mangled body lay,
Hiding horror from the day.
Sweetest, it was better so.)
Violets from oversea,
To your dear, far, forgetting land:
These I send in memory,
Knowing You will understand.
I have a question about the last stanza; in this particular stanza he
calls England "far,forgetting land"
In my opinion he wants to make clear that in England the common people
don't give a damn about the soldiers fighting in Flanders etc. they
don't feel it is war because they don't see it in their own country.
I'd like to hear your thoughts about this.
greets
Laurence
Kate Lindsay
Feb 7, 2009, 6:03:50 AM2/7/09
to World War One Literature
Dear Laurence
I think you are close in your interpretation, although I would suggest
that rather Roland thinking that those in the "far, forgetting land"
don't give a damn, it is more the case that they just cant comprehend
the scale of the war and the experience the soldiers are undergoing.
It is very interesting reading the letters between Leighton and his
fiance Vera Brittain (who was a VAD during the War, and also a
poet)...the longer he stays out there the less frequent his letters
become, the tone changes - why do you think this is?
You may find this letter particularly interesting, sent by Roland to
Vera on the 9th May 1915
http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/document/5639/5580#page-image
You may also find this pathway useful
http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/education/pathways/users/pathways/paths/2xkoyv/viewer
Kate
I think you are close in your interpretation, although I would suggest
that rather Roland thinking that those in the "far, forgetting land"
don't give a damn, it is more the case that they just cant comprehend
the scale of the war and the experience the soldiers are undergoing.
It is very interesting reading the letters between Leighton and his
fiance Vera Brittain (who was a VAD during the War, and also a
poet)...the longer he stays out there the less frequent his letters
become, the tone changes - why do you think this is?
You may find this letter particularly interesting, sent by Roland to
Vera on the 9th May 1915
http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/document/5639/5580#page-image
You may also find this pathway useful
http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/education/pathways/users/pathways/paths/2xkoyv/viewer
Kate
Piedro
Feb 9, 2009, 7:07:58 AM2/9/09
to World War One Literature
In my opinion he means that the soldiers have been fighting for such a
long time in the trenches, that theve have forgotten about Britain.
Their heads are filled with war and fighting, they just can't imagine
an England were things go their "normal" way..
long time in the trenches, that theve have forgotten about Britain.
Their heads are filled with war and fighting, they just can't imagine
an England were things go their "normal" way..
DJ
Feb 9, 2009, 12:32:40 PM2/9/09
to World War One Literature
Itcould be that he is using them as a symbol of mourning, for 'a land'
not yet fully coscious of the horrors of battle on the Western Front.
"Violets from overseas,
To suggest that the 'common people' did not 'give a damn' is to forget
that it was them who bore the brunt of the casualties at the front,
and hard work and privations at home.
One might take it further and suggest he was also hinting at the lost
innocence engendered by the mobilisation for war......
> > Laurence- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
not yet fully coscious of the horrors of battle on the Western Front.
"Violets from overseas,
To your dear, far, forgetting land:
These I send in memory,
Knowing You will understand"
http://arthistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/flower_symbols_in_christian_art
These I send in memory,
Knowing You will understand"
To suggest that the 'common people' did not 'give a damn' is to forget
that it was them who bore the brunt of the casualties at the front,
and hard work and privations at home.
One might take it further and suggest he was also hinting at the lost
innocence engendered by the mobilisation for war......
>
> - Show quoted text -
Laurence
Feb 9, 2009, 2:03:53 PM2/9/09
to World War One Literature
Dear Kate
to answer to your question; I think that the reason why Roland didn't
write that often after a while is the fact that his mind is occupied
by the war. His life has become the war itself and Vera becomes a part
of his life back there, in England. She's like a far memory, you
shouldn't forget that they were seperated fo a long time. He even
never saw her again...
Or maybe it's just because he doesn't finds the time to write to her?
greetings
Laurence
On 7 feb, 12:03, Kate Lindsay <klindsay.at.w...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> Dear Laurence
>
> I think you are close in your interpretation, although I would suggest
> that rather Roland thinking that those in the "far, forgetting land"
> don't give a damn, it is more the case that they just cant comprehend
> the scale of the war and the experience the soldiers are undergoing.
> It is very interesting reading the letters between Leighton and his
> fiance Vera Brittain (who was a VAD during the War, and also a
> poet)...the longer he stays out there the less frequent his letters
> become, the tone changes - why do you think this is?
>
> You may find this letter particularly interesting, sent by Roland to
> Vera on the 9th May 1915
>
> http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/document/5639/5580#page-i...
> > Laurence- Tekst uit oorspronkelijk bericht niet weergeven -
>
> - Tekst uit oorspronkelijk bericht weergeven -
to answer to your question; I think that the reason why Roland didn't
write that often after a while is the fact that his mind is occupied
by the war. His life has become the war itself and Vera becomes a part
of his life back there, in England. She's like a far memory, you
shouldn't forget that they were seperated fo a long time. He even
never saw her again...
Or maybe it's just because he doesn't finds the time to write to her?
greetings
Laurence
On 7 feb, 12:03, Kate Lindsay <klindsay.at.w...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> Dear Laurence
>
> I think you are close in your interpretation, although I would suggest
> that rather Roland thinking that those in the "far, forgetting land"
> don't give a damn, it is more the case that they just cant comprehend
> the scale of the war and the experience the soldiers are undergoing.
> It is very interesting reading the letters between Leighton and his
> fiance Vera Brittain (who was a VAD during the War, and also a
> poet)...the longer he stays out there the less frequent his letters
> become, the tone changes - why do you think this is?
>
> You may find this letter particularly interesting, sent by Roland to
> Vera on the 9th May 1915
>
>
> You may also find this pathway useful
>
> http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/education/pathways/users/pathways/pat...
> You may also find this pathway useful
>
>
> - Tekst uit oorspronkelijk bericht weergeven -
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