Asleep in the Valley: Arthur Rimbaud (some relevant points) with line by line explanation

Asleep in the Valley: Arthur Rimbaud

Some relevant points and line by line Explanation

And more notes at: https://tutun2017.blogspot.com/2019/05/asleep-in-valley.html

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The poem is about the death of a young soldier, whose body lies among the ferns and flowers in a valley.

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 This poem is most probably written in the October of 1870

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The poem was written in the background of the  Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871)

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The original was written in French, named ‘Le Dormeur du Val’ which means 'the sleeper of the valley'.

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This English version was translated by Paul Schmidt.

FORM 

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Sonnet is a lyric poem, generally considered to be a love lyric, with fourteen lines.

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The poem is written in the Petrarchan sonnet form,with two stanzas consisting of four lines each in the octave and two stanzas consisting of three lines each in the sestet.

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It has a rhyming scheme of abcb defe ggh iij.

Title

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 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.

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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.

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Line by line explanation

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The green valley looks green because of green grass and vegetation. There a stream/rivulet is flowing slowly. Here the colour ‘green‘ and ‘a slow stream’ both are symbols of life, vibrancy.

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The word ‘green' is used as a contrast to the lifelessness.

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The rivulet spreads like silvery ribbons over the green valley. The sun rays fall on the green grass making them look radiant/sparkling.

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The rays of the Sun flow like a stream from the peak of the mountain.

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The valley looks like a hollow from the peak of the mountain. The Sun rays fill the openings with light making everything bright. The Sunlit valley is a contrast to the darkness of death, caused by the war.

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The natural scene, presented in the first stanza, is brief but dear and attractive. The valley, presented in this stanza, looks a paradise like place. All the things are vibrant and full of life and are contrasting to the lifelessness.

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A soldier seems to be in his tender-age. He is lying. His mouth is open and it appears as if he is in deep sleep. The poet finds sending young soldiers in the front/war to be a waste/ futile. Their lives are cut-short and with this their hopes and aspirations are also shattered.

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The ferns act as the pillow of the young soldier.

                    Eternal sleep            dense bush of weeds growing under tall trees

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As the soldier is in deep sleep, his tall and stout figure extends to bushes/ dense bush of weeds growing under tall trees.

                         discoloured/faded       

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The green grassy field that becomes warm with the sun-rays, act as the bed of the young soldier. Here paleness of the soldier is a contrast to the green and warm atmosphere.

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The young soldier finds a bed in close contact with Nature. Here, Mother Nature bestows/provides him the comforts like pillow, warm sun-soaked bed.

  

His feet among the flowers, he sleeps.

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The feet of the soldier stretch to the array of flowers. It seems Nature is offering an honour to him.

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There is a smile in the face of the soldier. The poet compares his smile to a child’s. It is innocent, mild devoid of deception and trickery.

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Here the poet urges Nature to keep the body of the soldier warm so that it remains alive otherwise the cold hands of death will engulf him.

The humming insects don’t disturb his rest;

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The insects make continuous and monotonous sound (buzzing sound) but such sound fails to break the eternal rest of the soldier.

He sleeps in sunlight, one hand on his breast;/ At peace.

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The soldier is seen enjoying his sleep under the warm rays of the sun. He sleeps peacefully putting one of his hands on his chest.

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Finally the two blood-marks in his side, caused by bullets, assure us the soldier is dead. This also symbolizes the brutality as well as the futility of the war.