The Explosion

On the day of the explosion Shadows pointed towards the pithead: In thesun the slagheap slept. Down the lane came men in pitboots Coughing oath-edged talk and pipe-smoke Shouldering off the freshened silence. One chased after rabbits; lost them; Came back with a nest of lark's eggs; Showed them; lodged them in the grasses. So they passed in beards and moleskins Fathers brothers nicknames laughter Through the tall gates standing open. At noon there came a tremor; cows Stopped chewing for a second; sun Scarfed as in a heat-haze dimmed. The dead go on before us they Are sitting in God's house in comfort We shall see them face to face-- plian as lettering in the chapels It was said and for a second Wives saw men of the explosion Larger than in life they managed-- Gold as on a coin or walking Somehow from the sun towards them One showing the eggs unbroken.

change/things endinginnocence -MCMXIV

MCMXIV - macroviewThe Explosion - microview

Poignant stanza - we know that the eggs will never be collected (title is the explosion)

cornerstone of this community is the Church.

A) Bad Omen'On the day of the explosionShadows pointed towards the pithead'

B) Peace to be disrupted'In the sun the slagheap slept' (sibilance)

C) Unromanticised'Down the lane came men in pitbootsCoughing oath-edged talk and pipe-smokeShouldering off the freshened silence'

D) Innocence of youth'One chased after rabbits; lost them;Came back with a nest full of lark's eggs;Showed them; lodged them in the grasses.'

E) Brevity / uncertainty of life'lodged them in the grasses' (But they were never recovered''At noon there came a tremor; cows stopped chewing for a second; sun,Scarfed as in a heat haze, dimmed'

F) Community'Fathers, brothers, nicknames, laughter'

G) Gates of heaven/hell'Through the tall gates standing open'

H) Understated catastrophe'At noon, there came a tremor; cowsStopped chewing for a second; sunScarfed as in a heat haze, dimmed'

I) Light of life quenched''... sunScarfed as in a heat haze dimmed'

J) Simile'Scarfed as in a heat haze'

K) Frigility of lifeSymbol of the eggs - breakable/fragile'At noon, there came a tremor; cowsStopped chewing for a second; sunScarfed as in a heat haze, dimmed'

L) Mass - importance of ritual - solace'The dead go on before us, theyAre sitting in God's house in comfort,We shall see the face to face -''Plain as lettering in the chapelsIt was said, and for a secondWives saw men of the explosion'

M) Belief'The dead go on before us, theyAre sitting in God's house in comfort,We shall see them face to face - ''Plain as lettering in the chapelsIt was said, and for a secondWives saw men of the explosion''Larger than in life they managed - Gold as on a coin, or walkingSomehow from the sun towards them'

N) Things go on - symbolism'One showing the eggs unbroken.'

O) Turning to ritual'The dead go on before us, theyAre sitting in God's house in comfort,We shall see them face to face - ''Plain as lettering in the chapelsIt was said, and for a secondWives saw men of the explosion''Larger than in life they managed - Gold as on a coin, or walkingSomehow from the sun towards them'

Notes

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