Synthesized answer
The editor's note in "A Spring Harvest" [2] highlights that the poems were written at "very various times," with many composed "during a year in France" (November 1915 to December 1916) and one final version sent "from the trenches" [2]. The publication date of June 1918 [2], during the ongoing World War I, provides crucial context. This period of intense conflict and upheaval would likely have colored the author's perception of nature and humanity.
The passages show contrasting themes of nature's perfection and human sin and disillusionment. For instance, "Over the Hills and Hollows Green" [3] contrasts the "sainted singing larks" and "blessed primaveras" with "bitterly the springtide air" over "torn and shattered streets" where "no more shall children's footsteps go." Similarly, "Dark Boughs against a Golden Sky" [5] states, "Perfect is nature's every part... But never yet the perfect heart, And never yet the perfect life!" This juxtaposition of nature's ideal state with the grim realities of human existence, particularly in the context of war as indicated by the poems being written in France and sent from the trenches [2] and the 1918 publication date [2], would strongly…
Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.
From the book
e few facts no prelude and no envoi is needed other than those here printed as their author left them. J. R. R. T. 1918. CONTENTS This work was published before January 1, 1931, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago. Public domain Public domain false false
← A Spring Harvest ( 1918 ) by Geoffrey Bache Smith → 4224399 A Spring Harvest 1918 Geoffrey Bache Smith A SPRING HARVEST GEOFFREY BACHE SMITH A SPRING HARVEST To HIS MOTHER GEOFFREY BACHE SMITH A SPRING HARVEST BY GEOFFREY BACHE SMITH LATE LIEUTENANT IN THE LANCASHIRE FUSILIERS ERSKINE MACDONALD, LTD. LONDON, W.C. i All Rights Reserved First published June 1918 NOTE The poems of this book were written at very various times, one (“Wind over the Sea”) I believe even as early as 1910, but the order in which they are here given is not chronological beyond the fact that the third part…
← April 1916 A Spring Harvest by Geoffrey Bache Smith "Over the Hills and Hollows Green" Sonnet → 4224845 A Spring Harvest — "Over the Hills and Hollows Green" Geoffrey Bache Smith "OVER THE HILLS AND HOLLOWS GREEN" Over the hills and hollows green The springtide air goes valiantly, Where many sainted singing larks And blessed primaveras be: But bitterly the springtide air Over the desert towns doth blow, About whose torn and shattered streets No more shall children's footsteps go. ← "Let us tell Quiet Stories of Kind Eyes" A Spring Harvest by Geoffrey Bache Smith "Save that Poetic Fire"…
← Pure Virginia A Spring Harvest by Geoffrey Bache Smith A Preface for a Tale I have never told A Sonnet → 4224647 A Spring Harvest — A Preface for a Tale I have never told Geoffrey Bache Smith A PREFACE FOR A TALE I HAVE NEVER TOLD Herein is nought of windy citadels Where proud kings dwell, that with an iron hand Deal war or justice: here no history Of valiant ships upon the wine-dark seas Passing strange lands and threading channels strait Between embalmed island: here no song That men shall sing in battle and remember When they are old and grey beside the fire: Only a story gathered from…
← Schumann: Erstes Verlust A Spring Harvest by Geoffrey Bache Smith "Dark Boughs against a Golden Sky" "Wind of the Darkness" → 4224680 A Spring Harvest — "Dark Boughs against a Golden Sky" Geoffrey Bache Smith "DARK BOUGHS AGAINST A GOLDEN SKY" Dark boughs against a golden sky, And crying of the winter wind: And sweet it is, for hope is high, And sad it is, for we have sinned. Perfect is nature's every part In sunny rest, or windy strife: But never yet the perfect heart, And never yet the perfect life! Dark boughs against a golden sky, And crying of the winter wind: And in the cold earth…
More questions about this book
- Both poem excerpts utilize strong antitheses, such as "dark boughs against a golden sky" and the contrast between "perfect nature's every part" and "never yet the perfect heart." What specific rhetorical effect do these recurring juxtapositions achieve in conveying the poet's message, and how might they reflect the emotional or psychological landscape of the era?
- J. R. R. T.'s editorial note states that "no prelude and no envoi is needed other than those here printed as their author left them." What does this specific editorial choice suggest about the intended raw impact or authenticity of Smith's work, and how might it implicitly guide a reader's approach to interpreting the collection, particularly given the fragmented and non-chronological arrangement of the poems?
- The collection is titled "A Spring Harvest." How does this title, with its connotations of renewal, growth, and bounty, paradoxically relate to the often somber, melancholic, and world-weary tones expressed in the two provided poem excerpts? What complex understanding of human experience does this tension between title and content generate?
- In "Dark is the World our Fathers left us," the poem concludes with the command, "Tear ye the veil of time asunder / Tear the veil, 'tis the gods'." Given the poem's themes of inherited gloom and a lost "golden" past, what might this "veil" symbolize, and what specific form of agency, hope, or societal transformation is the poet advocating or aspiring to in this concluding imperative?