The eve of Waterloo

Childe Herold is one of the masterpieces of Lord Byron. The eve of waterloo is but a spoonful of the ice-cream scooped out of the majestic cup introduced to you as Childe Herold above! Of the many war poems written this one is unique as each one also is! The historic background of the poem is just an armor shielding and conveying the mettle - futility of war in a succulent manner!

Waterloo or Quas Batre is the name of place where the historic battle was fought between the English and the Celtics. Geographically speaking waterloo is situated near Brusells the capital of Belgium. The Duchess Richmound had arranged for a grand party where all noted members poured in and expressed great glee!

The poem begins with this party. Everyone around is soaked to the socks in merry - making. The youth is dancing, there is music and couple expressing their love through the gateway of heaven - the 'eyes', The rapturing milieu may enthrall and bewitch even the most dolorous, cynical wayward! Such was the glory!

The use of the word 'voluptuous' in the text suffices to explain all that I have to say and more. The use of 'Sound' in the same stanzas delivers diametrically opposing shades of meaning; joy at the beginning and war and mourning at the close.

At the end of the 1^st stanza we are introduced to the Knell - a warning bell often used as a sign of death which changes our mood. However the second stanza reverts our attention back to celebration. People in the party inferred the sound as that of a "rattling car" or "blowing wind". This is a significant insight into the human psychology.  We always want to extend our flickering spells of joy and never confront evil in whatsoever form. Even when the reality is overpowering we tend to turn our attention away and fish for excuses. Thus the inherent quality of life calls us again and again - that murmur!

However in the 3^rd stanza it becomes quite evident that Napolean had a launched surprise attack on the English. William Brunswick is referred to as "Fated Chieftain." The English army was doomed to crumble unto dust and hence the adjective fated or rather to say ill-fated. In this stanza Bruswick's father dies and to take his share of vengeance he too fights till his last breath. But here is a point to notice. Retired people, age and withered sit often in the cozy couch to savor life but war is so deleterious in all its aspects even an old man is not spared, from its haunting flares! So apathetic! 

As the poem advances the couples are separated, lovers are apart, mothers and their sons, sisters and their brothers are all apart. This scene is illustrated with such vividness so as to instill in the hearts of the readers and fill them with a million emotions beyond the reach of language. The tears shedding, the anxiety and pain of parting from the beloved touches the men and shakes him of the balance. The keyword used in this stanza is "Mutual Eyes". Any act accomplished by common agreement and effort is termed as mutual. Here the poet deliberately uses the word mutual to emphasize on the fact that "soldiers and martyrs" that are now leaving will upon return not be able to share the mutual eye contact for it would be shut forever in the gloom of war. Their relatives sorrowful would glance with keen anticipation only to hear no rely! Such is the dread of warfare. None is spared and the gently emotions are uprooted!

The next two stanzas merely talk of the preparation of was and the music and artillery that charges up all the soldiers to fight. The age-old Edwin and Donald are recalled to infuse the spirit of zeal, enthusiasm, and patriotism. Then the poet uses beautiful imagery of nature to criticize the self-consuming nature of war. As the soldiers passed through the forest of Arden the leaves rustling in the wind seem to wave a last good-bye to the soldiers. The morning dews on the leaves are personifies as the tears of nature. Even the inanimate is filled with grief for love is eternal truth!

The next stanza is the most important one as far as the theme is concerned. The soldiers tramping on the grass full of valor crushing and annihilating it go to the battle field. Their return is symbolized in a poetic way. The grass that they crushed would be the same that one day would grow on them - meaning grown on their graves. And of course war has no order and nobody is concerned with the corpses. Thus a few bodies would rot and others taken to the burial ground, where in the heap of friends and foes all would roll over one another and become clay once again as the inceptions of life!

The poet brings out the very reality of existence - death - the inevitable - the invincible. As in bile and all of the scriptures of the world it was declared that "Man hath come from the dust and unto dust he shall return" In the light of this divine understanding the poet wants us to remember that all our dreams and aspirations, hated, jealousies is but a mere bubble of soap. And that to make fuss about borders is rather childish. The very contrast of the jubilations at the beginning and the gruesome reality of war at the end of the poem invokes the reader to ponder over life - the beautiful opportunity. In every shade from bliss in the initial reveling at noon the translation from joy to mourning by the morning and then the filth of war, its terrible effect is breath taking.

Putting aside the historical note we find two entirely different worlds living simultaneously - the world of dance and music and love and the other of death, horror and terror. How astonishing it is to see heaven and hell existing all at once, transcending space and time and the fate tossing the "mere atomies" in between these two! Blessed are the ones who manage to loom somewhere at the boundary - who are neither ardent of some desperate glory nor are dismayed of some discomfiture! They are just who they are, neither more nor less - but yes they are humans in true sense of the word!