ASLEEP IN THE VALLEY

1. B-Give the substance of ‘Asleep in the Valley’.

Ans. “Asleep in the Valley”, a symbolic poem, begins with the description of a bosky
valley. A creek flows here, leaving long strands of silver on the bright grass. The sun
shining from the mountain-top makes the valley bubbling with the flooded sun beams. A
young, very young, soldier is found lying agape blissfully in the bushes and plants there.
The nape of his neck rests on the pillow of fern. He lies fully stretched on the sun-soaked
sod with his feet among the flowers. There is innocent smile about his face looking pale.
Cradled in the lap of nature, he has no fear of catching cold. Buzzing insect and one of his
hands being on the breast suggest the tranquility of his mind and body. But to everyone’s
horror and shock, a close-up view reveals two bullet wounds marked by blood in his body.
Ironically, the tranquility of his mind is that of the grave.

2. B-Write a note on the anti-war feeling of “Asleep in the Valley”?

Ans. “Asleep in the Valley”, a poem by the symbolist Arthur Rimbaud is about a young
soldier who is seen enjoying a pleasant nap in the soothing blissful sunlit valley. His head
is on the pillow made of fern, with his body lying on heavy undergrowth with his legs
being among the flowers. There is child like innocent smile about his face. But to
everyone’s shock, two red holes on his side gives the evidence of his death, meaning he is
never to be awaken. The warmth of sunlight, the growth of bushes, flowers, plants and
the co-existence of nourishing stream cannot preserve his smile living. There is a latent
anger against the war. The poet upholds that so powerful are the atrocities of war that it
snatches the youthful life in short.

3. B-“His smile is like an infant’s”- whose smile is referred to here? Why is the smile
compared with that of an infant? How does nature him?

Ans. The smile referred to here is that of the young soldier who is found asleep in the
valley by the poet.

The soldier found asleep there seems to be submerged in deep slumber. The
soothing sleep that he enjoys in the bosky valley on the heavy sod takes him to the
reverie of extreme pleasure. There is no mark of apprehension, tiredness, and fear about
his face. For he is now enjoying his perpetual sleep, undisturbed, unfazed,so the smile
about his face is pure, gentle and innocent.

Nature takes utmost care to keep him warm there. She has spread heavy
undergrowth with readying a pillow of fern to let his head rest on it. For his legs, she has
made electrifying flowers bloom about them. All the things she harmonises for his
majestic soothing sleep are very much natural, dipped in bright on livening sun beams.
Such is nature’s treatment for her soldier- souls slumber.

4. B-write a note on the images used by Rimbaud in the poem “Asleep in the Valley”.

Ans. Rimbaud’s “Asleep in the Valley” is a poem full of symbolism and imagery. The
poem opens with green, the colour of life, but ends with red that of brutal death. It
depicts a sunlit bosky hollow with a creek gargling on its own. This personified image of a
river running through grassland, pulling at the green grass, dipping in it, is a nice imagery.
But it generates a kind of violence, desperation and urgency in an otherwise pastoral
panorama. From the mountain top gleams the sun which accompanied with the gleaming
river creates a visual effect of fountain of light streaming from the mountain top. A young
soldier is found sleeping there. Sun-soaked sod and fern-made pillow give him a sound
sleep. The innocent smile about his face shows how relaxed and creepy he is. Cradled in
nature’s lap he is warm. But to everyone’s shock two red holes are revealed on his sides,
which manifests the violence of war. The first bullet wounded him, but as he hopped
about, he was shot dead to be sure.