ASLEEP IN THE VALLEY

Asleep In The Valley by Arthur Rimbaud

1. Substance of the poem “Asleep In The Valley”.

Ans.   The poem “Asleep In The Valley” starts with a peaceful and tranquil natural setting. A green valley within hills sparkles brightly in sunlight. A stream slowly flows down the valley. In such lovely setting the poet finds a body of a soldier, lying pale and open-mouthed with a pillow made of fern. He seems all innocent, pure and simple. But poet’s close look on him, makes us certain that he is taking an eternal sleep. His life is brutally ended with two bullet injuries. The poet invokes Nature to keep the dead soldier warm and in peace, without any disturbance whatsoever. (88 words)

2. Bring out the significance of the title of the poem “Asleep In The Valley”.

Ans.   The title of the poem “Asleep In The Valley” tells us about someone who is sleeping in a calm, peaceful valley in close contact with Nature. The nature is very pleasant with its slow stream, the flood of sunlight, flowers, greenery and buzzing insects. In the title, the two main words represent different meaning other than their surface meaning. ‘Asleep’ denotes the eternal sleep i.e. (that is) death and ‘valley’ symbolizes a paradise like place. The title seems ironical. It brings out the futility and brutality of war in a gentle implicit way. Actually the title suggests that the soldier is not taking rest but has been brutally killed in the war. Thus the title is apt and suggestive to the theme of the poem. (100 words)

3. Estimate the poem as a war poetry.          Or,   Discuss the poet’s attitude to the war.

Ans.   “Asleep In The Valley” is a poem about war and reveals the brutality and futility of war.           The poem presents a peaceful and tranquil view where a young soldier is resting on the bed of Nature. But side by side the poet makes us aware about the brutality of war by showing his pale, open-mouthed, cold body and ultimately the two red marks.          Through the poem Rimbaud asks relevance of the war that ends the young lives untimely who are as pure and innocent as Nature. Here the soldier’s sleep represents the eternal sleep that cannot be warmed and affected by anything. The poet tries to say that war is not only ending the young lives but affecting the peace in the Nature also. (100 words)

4. Bring out the central idea of the poem “Asleep In The Valley”.

Ans.   The central idea of the poem is the brutality and futility of war. The poet finds a hapless dead body of a soldier, being the victim of war. The body of the soldier is lying in a valley that is bursting with life. This accounts for the fact that even amidst death, life surrounds us. However, this can also mean that although life is beautiful and all around us, death is inevitable and sudden. Thus the aim of life should be to embrace it. In this way the poem brings out two purposes – telling us the futility of war and also that death is not an enemy. On the contrary, it is a peaceful end. (98 words)

5.  “His feet among the flowers, he sleeps. His smile / Is like an infant’s –“

     Whose smile is referred to here? Why is his smile compared with that of an infant? How does Nature treat him?

Ans.   (i) The smile of a soldier, lying dead in the valley, is referred to here.

       (ii) The soldier retains a beautiful innocent smile on his face. His face bears no trace of trickery. His smiling face indicates that he has got chance to take rest after a strenuous struggle in war. It may also refer that he is too young to be killed in the war. The peace, the soldier having, makes his face as innocent as a child.

        (iii) The sufferings of the soldier seem to be healed as various comforts, provided by Nature. Nature provides him sun-soaked bed, a pillow of ferns, flowers, humming insects. (92 words)

6. “In his side, there are two red holes “

    What is indicated here? Bring out the significance precisely and clearly.                   

Ans.   The poet refers here to the two bloody wounds visible on the side of the young soldier lying dead on a pleasant, warm valley. The soldier mentioned, is possibly the victim of two bullets fired on him by his enemy soldier during their encounter. So he lies dead with those bullet wounds on his body.

          These bullet marks are of much significance in Rimbaud’s poem. They signify the marks of death caused by war. Young lives like him become hapless victim of war. The phrase “two red holes” brings out not only death but the futility and brutality of war quite well also. (93 words)

7.  Discuss two contrasting picture presented in the poem, “Asleep In The Valley”.

Ans.   Rimbaud presents two contrasting picture – One is of a beautiful, serene nature representing a heavenly world and the other is of two bullet marks to achieve his theme of war – its futility and brutality.           The poem begins with a peaceful and tranquil natural setting. A green valley within hills sparkles brightly in sunlight. A stream slowly flows down the valley. In such lovely setting the poet finds a body of a soldier, lying pale and open-mouthed with a pillow made of fern. There are beautiful flowers, humming insects. The Nature seems to be enjoying and energizing in this calm world.    This serenity of Nature remains intact until the last portion of the last line. Two bullet marks collapses all the peace. The whole poem is disturbed by the horror of war in the last line. (105 words)

8. How does the poet describe the soldier in “Asleep In The Valley”?

Ans.   In the poem, Arthur Rimbaud has described the dead soldier with elegance and eloquence. The soldier is very young and he lies open-mouthed. It seems that there is a pillow made of fern leaves beneath his head. The sleeping soldier is stretched in the heavy undergrowth and he looks pale in his warm, green, sun-soaked bed. He sleeps with his feet among the flowers. There is a smile in the face of this soldier. The gentle smile seems to be without any guile. As the soldier sleeps, one hand of him is on seen over his chest and in his side; there are two red holes of the bullets, signifying the brutality of war.                                                                  (101 words)