Poem 2 In Spite of War
Stanza 1:
In spite of war, in spite of death,
In spite of all man’s sufferings,
Something within me laughs and sings
And I must praise with all my breath.
Paraphrase:
In spite of war destructions, death, and sufferings of all human beings, there is something in my heart that laughs and sings the song of hope and pleasure. So, I must praise it wholeheartedly.
Stanza 2:
In spite of war, in spite of hate
Lilacs are blooming at my gate,
ulips are tripping down the path
In spite of war, in spite of wrath.
Paraphrase:
In spite of war and hate, Lilacs are blooming at my gate. Tulips flowers are also growing and stumbling down the path. Although there are war and anger, these flowers give us hope and courage to face the situations.
Stanza 3:
“Courage!” the morning-glory saith;
“Rejoice!” the daisy murmureth,
And just to live is so divine
When Pansies lift their eyes to mine.
Paraphrase:
The morning glory advised us for courage and daisy flowers softly speak to be glad (rejoice) and do not worry about the war sufferings. Life is very beautiful, and it becomes more beautiful when pansies bloom and lift their eyes to mine.
Stanza 4:
The clouds are romping with the sea,
And flashing waves call back to me
That naught is real but what is fair,
That everywhere and everywhere
A glory liveth through despair.
Paraphrase:
The clouds are playing with the sea. The flashing waves are calling me
back that everything that is fair and just is actually the reality. That reality lives everywhere in this world. Although there is hopelessness but glory and despair live side by side.
Stanza 5:
Though guns may roar and cannon boom,
Roses are born and gardens bloom;
My spirit still may light its flame
At that same torch whence, Poppies came.
Paraphrase:
In the war, the guns and cannons are roaring and booming all around but still, roses are blooming, and gardens are full of beautiful flowers. This beautiful environment makes me happy. I am in high spirits to see growing poppies.
Stanza 6:
Where morning’s altar whitely burns
Lilies may lift their silver urns
In spite of war, in spite of shame.
Paraphrase:
When the sun rises in the morning and spreads it light everywhere, it makes the beautiful Lilies flower shining like silver. Then in spite of war which is very shameful, lilies grow everywhere reducing the horrors of war.
Stanza 7:
And in my ear a whispering breath,
“Wake from the nightmare! Look and see
That life is naught but ecstasy
In spite of war, in spite of death!”.
Paraphrase:
My whispering breath softly speaks in my ear to wake up from your horror dream. Look around and see the world. Life is nothing but an ecstasy. It is full of great joy, Although there is a war going on and deaths are seen everywhere.