Asleep in the Valley/ Part-1

ASLEEP IN THE VALLEY

Arthur Rimbaud

1. How does the picture of the soldier describe the tragedy of war,

      In the poem 'Asleep in the Valley', a small stream flows through the valley. The valley is decorated by a variety of flowers. Insects hum continuously there. There is such a peaceful ambience that the soldiers seems to sleep deeply: “A soldier, very young, lies open-mouthed,/ A pillow made of fern beneath his head,/ Asleep.” The innocent smile in the face of the soldier indicates that he is innocent and pure. But it is only at the end, the poet makes us realise that the soldier is a casualty of war. Rimbaud jolts the readers by stating that “In his side there are two red holes”. At once the valley of life becomes the valley of death. There lies the tragedy of war. [123]

2.      What do we normally associate with the word ‘asleep’? When does the reader recognize that the soldier is asleep in a difference sense?

      The word ‘asleep’ normally denotes a state of sleep when one is overcome with fatigue. It is an inactive condition of mind and body. The sleep in this case would reinvigorate one’s self.

       But the word ‘asleep’ in the poem ‘Asleep in the Valley’ is used in different sense. In the poem a young soldier lies asleep with his mouth agape. There neither a single word nor any expression plants any whit of suspicion in our mind that the soldier lies dead. But it is only at the end do we fathom that the soldier is a casualty of war. Rimbaud jolts the readers by stating that “In his side there are two red holes”. Thus, we finally realise that the young soldier is just not asleep; he is dead in the midst of the warm valley brimming with life. [107]

3. Evaluate 'Asleep in the Valley' as an anti-war poem. Or, how is Rimbaud's attitude towards war revealed in 'Asleep in the Valley'?

     In the poem, 'Asleep in the Valley' Rimbaud expresses the fruitlessness of war. He has first-hand experience of war and reveals the horror of warfare. Initially, a young soldier is found sleeping in a beautiful sunlit valley. But, at the end of the poem a closer look reveals that the soldier has the bullet-wounds: “In his side there are two red holes.” He will be never awaken again. The young life is unnaturally nipped in the bud. The poem proclaims the futility of war with the contrast of life and nature. Grim death is the inevitability of war and the poem ironically presents the monstrous destruction that a soldier has experience in warfare. [113]