What does Thomas Hardy say in his poem 'In Time of the Breaking Nations'

Question: What does the poet Thomas Hardy say in his poem “In Time of the Breaking Nations.”

Answer:

Thomas Hardy is a famous poet. His poem “In Time of the Breaking Nations” is a remarkable poem based on anti-war tone. It represents the idea of war, nations building and nation breaking activities. It also deals with love, birth and death of human beings. The poet exposes the meaninglessness of the rise and fall of historic figures.

The poet celebrates the common human life with all it ordinary, but fundamental human activities. He brings the images of a peasant walking slowly, silently and with a tired body, beside his tired horse. They are busy in breaking clods over roughed land. He also offers a picture of couple in their natural action of marry making. The war will go on creating destruction to world civilization. But the story of loving couple will continue forever. The activity of procreation will protect the human race.

The poet is a great philosopher. He can understand the inner process of the rise and fall of civilization. That is why; the poet expresses the fact that there is rise and fall in human civilization. The creator of war and dynasties are not free from the wear and tear of time. The destructive process of civilization face death and decay, today or tomorrow. But the flow of life will go on uninterrupted despite bloody wars. The dynasties and kingdoms will rise and fall is the eternal journey of time. At the same time, human activities such as ploughing of land, love-making and procreation of children will also be continuing forever out living the war cries of the rules–

“Yonder a maid and her wight

Come whispering by:

Wars annals will cloud into night

Ere their story die.”

War is temporary accident. War starts and war ends. But heroes die and fall. One dynasty falls and other rises but the flow of time and the flow of life will go on eternally and continuously. Hardy wants to say, that the immense process of evolution advances regradless of human bane and human blessing. During Hardy’s life there were two major wars which moved him much. Hardy wrotes war poems. In this poem diminished the prestige of war by placing the events of war in a universal prospective of cosmic dimension.

The poet divided into three stanzas. In the first stanza we get the idea that the common humdrum life continues with all its rhythm. The man tilling the soil with old horse moves slowly, clumsily and sleepily. In the second stanza we get another picture of common life. Couch-grass pilled in heaps is set a light and this smoke rises without any flame. In spite of rise and fall ot the dynesties this sort of human drama goes on. The third stanza portrays a maid with her lover whispering in a very intimate passion. We are told here that the chronicles of war is forgotten. The human drama of love and passion continues unhindered.

The temporary nature of dynasty and wars is contrasted with the fundamental activities of human beings. Like the flow of river, the flow of life never stops. Agriculture develops though there is a dram of war. Love-making and procreation also go on symbolizing man’s endless flow of life. They are positive, creative and humanizing destructive activities of war can not stop the constructive and creative activities of human beings. Thus the war-monger are defeated by the creative genius of human beings. Romances of war are defeated by the romances of love and other creative activities.

Thus Thomas Hardy expresses his thoughtlful opinion regarding harmful effect of war. But he has presented a universal truth that average human activities are integral part of human life history. These average activities of human civilization are continuing in spite of bloody wars. Hardy has shown the fact that the destructive dehumanizing and diabolical activities of war will be perished in touch of the human passion of procreation and love. Love reigns supreme.