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The glories of our blood and state
Are shadows, not substantial things;
There is no armour against Fate;
Death lays his icy hand on kings:
Sceptre and Crown
Must tumble down,
And in the dust be equal made
With the poor crooked scythe and spade.
Some men with swords may reap the field,
And plant fresh laurels where they kill:
But their strong nerves at last must yield;
They tame but one another still:
Early or late
They stoop to fate,
And must give up their murmuring breath
When they, pale captives, creep to death.
The garlands wither on your brow;
Then boast no more your mighty deeds!
Upon Death’s purple altar now
See where the victor-victim bleeds.
Your heads must come
To the cold tomb:
Only the actions of the just
Smell sweet and blossom in their dust.
CRITICAL APPRECIATION OF THE POEM
The poem given for critical appreciation is of immense philosophical meanings which impart
the ultimate truth of life that death has hundred hands and thousand ways. That life is an
illusion and death is the reality is a universal truth, is often reinforced in many books, both
literary and religious. Man who is driven by vaulting ambition and arrogant ego should
realise that ‘life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury , signifying nothing’. The
poem tells that war is futile and hostile to humanity and virtue and goodness shall alone be
remembered for ever.
The speaker in the poem says that all glories in life attained through either inheritance or
one’s own ability shall finally lead to dust and death. All are mere shadows and insubstantial
and there is no protection from the onslaught of the Fate which is unconquerable. Death
controls the kings and all power centres and destroys the sceptre and crown which are
symbols of power and glory. The rulers and the ruled are made equal in death and there is
no distinction between sceptre and crown and scythe and spade. There are some men who
conquer the zenith of glory with their military power and kill thousands of innocent people to
establish their sovereignty. But at the end of their lives, the muscle power and war cries will
no longer prevail. They will end up in graves and their breath shall stop forever bringing a
final curtain to their lives while their captives die miserable death. Both the victor and the
victim will face the same end which is the death itself, immortal and powerful. The worldly
power and glory will melt away in the icy tomb which awaits all. The thing that remains
immortal will be the good actions rendered on earth.
The poem is written in simple but fitting words to achieve an impressive impact which the
readers will feel on perusal of the poem. The rhyme employed in the poem gives a charm
and the images like ‘sceptre and crown’ and ‘scythe and spade’ evoke a striking contrast in
the poem to show the ruler and the ruled, and the have and have not. Though it is a short
poem, it is enriched with profound meaning in simple style. The poet uses ‘purple alter’ and
‘cold tomb’ as strong images to convey the immortality and sad reality of death.
The purpose of the poem is to remind the humanity that life is evanescent and one should be
prepared to admit it. There is no meaning in being arrogant as long as man has no control
over life. The earthly power and glory achieved through war and violence is immaterial and
insignificant. Everything is decided by the Fate who is impartial and insensitive to human
power and glory. Man is a plaything in the hands of Fate which unravels its plans and
objectives unmindful of anything. It is the duty of all humans to accept the will of the Fate
and lead a life of virtue and goodness in tune with the reality of life that man is mortal.
The speaker conveys a universal truth about life in this poem though it is not first of its kind
in literature. The theme of death and destruction has been the favourite theme in the hands of
many writers. Even though there is no novelty and variety in theme, still it is a fine piece of
work as it is able to reinforce a universal truth in musical composition of words.
Notwithstanding a few shortcomings like that, the poem given for critical appreciation is
worth reading. The poet has succeeded to incur a desired effect upon the readers.
