Before the Battle

Music of whispering trees
Hushed by the broad-winged breeze
Where shaken water gleams;
And evening radiance falling
With reedy bird-notes calling.
O bear me safe through dark, you low-voiced streams.

I have no need to pray
That fear may pass away;
I scorn the growl and rumble of the fight
That summons me from cool
Silence of marsh and pool
And yellow lilies islanded in light
O river of stars and shadows, lead me through the night.

              – Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967)

• Composed by Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967), an English war poet; he was a soldier who fought in the World War I.
• Peaceful, natural location
• Night time; pleasing, music-like sounds of the night
• Hates/opposes the horrors/destructions of war (fought during the day)
• Finds rest and safety in the cover of the night against the daytime’s fearful battle

Interpretation of the Poem

This short lyrical poem is composed by Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967), an English war poet, who fought in the World War I. He writes about his war experiences – often depicting the horrors and meaninglessness of war. This poem is about one such experience, just before the battle as the title of the poem suggests. The poet finds peace, rest and safety in the dark cover of the night. During the daytime he should fight against his enemies. With the next sunrise he will be fighting again. But actually he doesn’t like the fight. He says he “scorns the growl and rumble of the fight.” The sounds of war are fearful and horrible to him. But now is the night, and at this time of the night he is enjoying the cool and restful nature. The whispering of trees, chirping of birds and murmuring of streams are like music to him, very pleasing, unlike the fierce shouting and painful cries of the soldiers at war. He feels completely safe at the moment, and so, doesn’t feel the “need to pray that fear may pass away.” However, he doesn’t seem to have the liberty to sit at just one spot and sleep – he needs to keep moving, probably heading somewhere. So, he beseeches stars and shadows to lead him safely through the night. By implication, he might also be saying to them to lead him away from the light of the day that is calling him to fight again. To sum up, he finds peace, rest and safety at night and wishes to escape from the daylight when he will have to face his enemies and fight fearfully again.

GLOSSARY

hushed (adj): much quieter than usual
gleam (v): to shine with a pale clear light
radiance (n): warm light shining form something
reedy (adj): high and thin in tone
scorn (v): to feel or show that something is very stupid
growl (n): a low, rough sound, made usually in anger
rumble (n): a loud low dull continuous sound
marsh (n): low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation
summon (v): to order to appear in the court; to call