Break of Day in the Trenches: Hypermedia Edition
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The Poem
Break of Day in the Trenches The darkness crumbles away |
P. Fussell, The Great War and Modern Memory (Oxford, 1975, pp. 243–54), states of the rat:
Fussell, 1975 As I pull the parapet's poppy P. Fussell, in his chapter 'On the War Poets in Literature' in The Great War and Modern Memory (Oxford, 1975, 243–54) provides an overall view of the poem and its relation to the pastoral elements:
Fussell, 1975 Now you have touched this English hand To cross the sleeping green between. (L.12) The ability of the rat to cross land prohibited to the soldiers, i.e. no-man's land (the space between the two opposing trenches) furthers the irony of the situation and calls to mind an earlier poem by Blake, 'The Ecchoing Green': The Ecchoing Green
William Blake |
Pre-June-1916 Version
The version below shows Rosenberg's first attempt at the poem. The poem was altered in June 1916 in preparation for its publication in Poetry.
Differences between this and the printed version are indicated in bold.
Isaac Rosenberg |
Bottomley Variant
Gordon Bottomley (1874–1948) was one of the noted literary luminaries at the turn of the century. Although his work is not highly rated nowadays, it was included in Sir Edward Marsh's influential Georgian Poetry (1912). Bottomley took a keen interest in Rosenberg's work and the text below (variants indicated in bold) relate to a transcript (no date) of the poem once in his possession.
Isaac Rosenberg |
Other Poems of Note
In the Trenches
'In the Trenches' was written in June/July of 1916 and is often seen as a first attempt at 'Break of Day in the Trenches' because of its similar setting and strong use of the image of the poppy.
Isaac Rosenberg (1916) |
Marching'Marching' was written at the end of 1915/early 1916 but was not published until December 1916 when it appeared, along with 'Break of Day in the Trenches' in the US magazine Poetry.
Isaac Rosenberg (1915–16) |
Notes Poetry was a Chicago-based journal founded and edited by the American poet/critic Harriet Monroe. In its early days it published works by Pound, Eliot, and Frost as well as Rosenberg's 'Break of Day in the Trenches'. Rosenberg sent the poem 'Break of Day in the Trenches' to Harriet Monroe in October 1916 with the following note:
The poems enclosed were 'Break of Day in the Trenches' and 'The Troop Ship'. |
The Troop Ship
In May 1916 Isaac Rosenberg embarked for France, travelling in the standard troop ship across the English Channel. The poem gives a stark account of conditions on- board for the lower ranks. It was sent to Harriet Monroe in October 1916 along with 'Break of Day in the Trenches'. The poem survives in facsimile form in a letter (no date) to Robert Trevelyan.
Grotesque and queerly huddled
Contortionists to twist
The sleepy soul to a sleep,
We lie all sorts of ways
And cannot sleep.
The wet wind is so cold,
And the lurching men so careless,
That, should you drop to a doze,
Winds' fumble or men's feet
Are on your face.
Isaac Rosenberg (1916)