Home they brought her warrior dead:
She nor swoon'd nor utter'd cry:
All her maidens, watching, said,
"She must weep or she will die."
Then they praised him, soft and low,
Call'd him worthy to be loved,
Truest friend and noblest foe;
Yet she neither spoke nor moved.
Stole a maiden from her place,
Lightly to the warrior stepped,
Took the face-cloth from the face;
Yet she neither moved nor wept.
Rose a nurse of ninety years,
Set his child upon her knee—
Like summer tempest came her tears—
"Sweet my child, I live for thee."
These are lines from the ever gripping poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
These lines have this unique haunting effect on me whenever I come across them. Even then as a 7th grader, as the English teacher first recited and then unfolded the poem to the class, it tore the heart apart. The plot, the words, the flow and the emotions have a lasting impact upon us from start till the end.
This is the story of a woman who has lost her husband in the battlefield. The martyr is brought home to the widow and the family. The widow on hearing the news is in a state of shock and although the body is right in front of her eyes, she refuses to believe her loss. All kith and kin have arrived to pay their last respects to the deceased. The crowd struck with grief is mourning. But the widow is unfazed and still. The family is now worried for her. They rightly believe that if the woman does not grieve, the pain she refuses to let out will eventually kill her. They try in all possible ways to help her vent out her feelings.
They speak highly of her husband's ways and deeds so that her tears find their way out. But she is unmoved. Another young lady knowing that the widow is in a state of disbelief pulls out the veil from the face of the deceased. She hopes to bring her friend to come to terms with reality by doing so. Everyone is aghast to see that she does not budge.
Finally rises an elderly nurse, her age depicting her bounty of experiences. Her simple gesture does the needful and the widow cannot hold any longer. The nurse places the warrior's child in the widow's lap. The touch of her flesh and blood triggers her to get back to her senses. Her will to succumb to her irreplaceable loss is shattered when she realizes she has to live for the sake of their child. The nurse knew this very well and thus subtly coaxed the widow to gather all her courage and look beyond her personal loss for the child's future.
The first thought that gripped my mind as I was introduced to the poem was the selfless sacrifice of the soldiers and officers of our motherland. I remember very vividly that our teacher compared the plot to similar acts of valor displayed by our brave men in uniform. With no prior acquaintances of any kind in the defense services we 12 year olds back then were clueless about the lifestyle and challenges faced by them. This poem came across as a big blow on the face and jolted me and my classmates into the world of our unsung heroes.
The first thought that gripped my mind as I was introduced to the poem was the selfless sacrifice of the soldiers and officers of our motherland. I remember very vividly that our teacher compared the plot to similar acts of valor displayed by our brave men in uniform. With no prior acquaintances of any kind in the defense services we 12 year olds back then were clueless about the lifestyle and challenges faced by them. This poem came across as a big blow on the face and jolted me and my classmates into the world of our unsung heroes.
