Thomas reiterates the power of the hand with this final line in stanza three, “Great is the hand that holds dominion over / Man by a scribbled name. ” Thomas is revealing that “his” hand works with anyone with authority. It is possible that a single signature could control millions of lives. This could refer to either the initiation of the conflict or the resolution. The final stanza pursues the history of the war. “The five kings count the dead. ” This is Thomas equating the fact that it is the victors who end up writing history. “… but do not soften / The crusted wound nor pat the brow.
” This charges the five kings with a further bitterness, as there is no sympathy shown toward the sixth king. This is further reinforced by the final line in the poem “Hands have no tears to flow. ” Dylan Thomas expresses youthful concerns with this poem. The poem could be considered unsubtle in its intentions, and is not nearly as distinctive as his later poetry. Using the “Hand” as a figurative extension for both men and the five nations that signed a treaty, which damned Germany to financial and social misery; Thomas has written a poem whose moral is clear: Lopsided diplomacy will always fail.
To have five kings “doing” a king to death is a powerful metaphor for what happens when that lopsidedness prevails. The poem’s narrative through battle, diplomacy, aftereffect and chronicle serves to provide a linear temporality to the poem which in turn heightens the poem’s effect. To have a recognizable and relatable course of events helps to ground the work in a familiar reality. Thomas is offering a mirror in this poem which Britain and the United States in particular are invited to look into. It is prescient writing for 1933, and Dylan Thomas would have to have been “tuned in” to understand the consequence of history.
The further capitulation by Britain to Germany after this poem was written would ignite a Second World War that had already been fueled by two decades of social and economic anxiety. Thomas traces that anxiety to five kings crippling a sixth. An aspect of the poem that I feel I am not capable of doing justice with this particular essay is Thomas’ unique use of sound and rhyme. Thomas would become famous for his musicality, and his deft use of that talent in this particular poem elicits a surreal beauty. There are elements of alliteration present as well as a strange yet comfortable meter.
It is comfortable in the sense that the rhythm of syllables is never jarring. What I sought to accomplish with this paper was, to provide a meaning and a foundation for the poem. It will have to be someone else’s responsibility to dissect every subtle sound and interpret the poem’s rolling rhythm.
Works Cited: 1. T. S. Eliot, “Tradition and the Individual Talent, The Sacred Wood,” 2nd edn (London: Methuen, 1928), p. 55. 2. Allen Ginsberg, Lewis Hyde On the Poetry of Allen Ginsberg (University of Michigan Press, 1984), p. 96 3. H.
Wickham Steed, “The Future in Europe ” International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1931-1939), Vol. 12, No. 6 (Nov. , 1933), pp. 744-762 4. Dylan Thomas, “Poetic Manifesto” The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry (2003 W. W. Norton & Company Inc. ) Vol 2. p. 1062 5. T. S. Eliot, ‘The Metaphysical Poets’, Selected Essays, 2nd edn (London:Faber,1934), p. 288. 1 T. S. Eliot, “Tradition and the Individual Talent, The Sacred Wood,” 2nd edn (London: Methuen, 1928), p. 55. 2 Allen Ginsberg, Lewis Hyde On the Poetry of Allen Ginsberg (University of Michigan Press, 1984), p. 96 3 ibid. 4 H.
Wickham Steed, “The Future in Europe ” International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1931-1939), Vol. 12, No. 6 (Nov. , 1933), pp. 744-762 5 Dylan Thomas, “Poetic Manifesto” The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry (2003 W. W. Norton & Company Inc. ) Vol 2. p. 1062 6 T. S. Eliot, ‘The Metaphysical Poets’, Selected Essays, 2nd edn (London: Faber,1934), p. 288. Randolph 1 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our University Degree Other Poets section.
