A Dark Past
I have seen the fall of States and the perdition of tribes, (5) the flight of kings and emperors, the power of tyrants. I can say now, in this hour, that I—am, while everything expires, that it is better to be a live dog than a dead lion, as the Scripture says.
And yet so often I was near, (20) I reached into the heart of metal, the soul of earth, of fire, of water. And the unknown unveiled its face as a night reveals itself, serene, mirrored by tide. Lustrous copper-leaved gardens greeted me that disappear as soon as you touch them. (25)
This I wanted and nothing more. So who is guilty? Who deprived me of my youth and my ripe years, who seasoned my best years with horror? Who, who ever is to blame, who, O God? (40)
A Selection from:
Song of a Citizen
By: Czeslaw Milosz
War in Polish Poetry
War, no matter who you are, has a giant effect on everyone. The invasion of Poland took a drastic hit on the country during World War II. Though many of the buildings were in ruins, it had a big effect on the people who lived there. Czeslaw Milosz writes a poem in the view of one of the people who lived during these harsh times. Song of a Citizen, by Czeslaw Milosz, uses allusions and powerful language in order to show the tragedy of war.
The use of an allusion in Song of a Citizen helps emphasize the terrible doing of war. At the beginning of the poem, a biblical allusion is used, “That it is better to be a live dog than a dead lion, as the scripture says” (Czeslaw 10). This allusion is from Ecclesiastes 9:4-5, “But whoever is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion” (Ecclesiastes 9:4-5). When the poet uses the “it is better to be a live dog”, it means possibly that it is better to stay out of things because usually when referring to dogs in text, they are afraid or cowardly. The use of the words “dead lion” is the rebels who fought during the invasion. The lion is referred to as a courageous, strong animal in text but in this case the ones who fight for what they want die because of awful war. Using these in the allusion from the bible makes war seem even worse because it makes people act rashly. To show war is terrible, the author used an allusion from the bible which creates sadness.
The use of powerful language in Song of a Citizen shows the terrible outcomes of war. The author uses power language near the end to give a negative tone, “So who is guilty? Who deprived me of my youth and my ripe years? Who seasoned my best years with horror? Who, who is ever is to blame, who, O God?” (Czeslaw 36-40). In these lines you see the repeat of the word “who” a lot. The repetition of this word stresses the sadness and gives a negative tone. The quote also describes youth three times such as “my youth” and “ripe years” and “best years”. More repetition highlights this person was younger when this happened. When something tragic happens in a person’s life at a young age, the person won’t forget and will never live a happy, normal childhood. Finally, to play up the helpless tone, the words “who, O God?” were put in. Asking for help is repeated several times in this excerpt of the poem. When repeating certain words or phrases, it usually infers that it is important to understanding the theme. This would be important because the speaker is asking for help; war has destroyed what they had. It becomes powerful by repetition and importance. Powerful language supports the negative and sad tone of the poem
By: Staci Batchelor