THE TRULY GREAT

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The Author and Background

Stephen Spender (1909 – 1995) was an English poet, essayist, translator, and literary critic, who traveled widely, living in
the United States and Europe as well as Britain. He was a member of Auden's circle and was acquainted with and wrote
about many of the leading figures of his period. “The Truly Great”, which is the actual title of this work, was published in
Spender's Collected Poems 1928-1953 in 1955.

Theme

The main theme of the poem centers on the necessity of remembering, celebrating, and cherishing the "truly great"
among us. The narrator doesn't specifically state who these "truly great" people are, but they might be famous writers
and poets the narrator knows.

The narrator praises these "truly great" individuals with highly laudatory words. During his life, Stephen Spender was
infatuated with the idea of fame and greatness. He yearned for success and dreamed about it;...

The Content and the Message

He discusses the traits of heroes who have passed away before us. Spender has artistically developed a sort of
reminiscent piece of writing in which he elaborately glorifies the doings, and particularly, the traits of those historical
figures that have passed before us, leaving a lasting mark in this world. It is interesting to note that Spender chooses to
only glorify figures of the past and not of the present. This could be a way of mourning the decreasing amount of
ambition in people today, or it could simply be that Spender wanted to write a tribute to all those great people who
sacrificed their lives, from womb to grave, in order to make a difference in the world. The latter is most likely the case
because throughout the entire poem there is a very positive and optimistic attitude, nothing bitter or contemptuous
which would imply that Spender wanted to shame this generation for lack of ambition. The Truly Great consists of 3
stanzas of free verse poetry. Spender has incorporated the poetic devices of Enjambment, heavy Symbolism and
Metaphors to beautifully describe the traits of the great heroes of the past. You can read the full poem here.

First Stanza

Spender commences his poem with an open statement saying that he thinks often of those individuals who have made a
big difference in the world. He refers to these individuals as ‘the truly great’, which is fairly straightforward. However,
his description of them which comes in the following line is not so blunt. Spender describes these truly great people as
those ‘who remembered the soul’s history from the womb’. This could hold multiple meanings. The first and most
obvious meaning is in which the word soul can be taken as symbolism to represent people, for all people have one thing
in common which is a soul. Spender could be saying that these truly great people are those who literally always kept in
mind the history of people. By forever remembering what humankind had gone through from the beginning of time, it
allowed these individuals to be passionate about making a change and therefore they become so great. ‘Those who
remembered the soul’s history from the womb’ could also be a way of saying that these people remembered that they
had come from God and therefore focused their life on trying to achieve something more because materialistic
pleasures did not appeal to them. Spender uses Enjambment at the end of this line to transition on to the next few lines
in the stanza which shows that the next few lines are further discussing the traits of the truly great.

The next few lines of the first stanza are heavy with Metaphors and Symbolism.

Through corridors of light, where the hours are suns,

Endless and singing. Whose lovely ambition

Was that their lips, still touched with fire,

The above portion of the first stanza is using metaphors to relate hours to suns and symbolism to relate their noble
words to lips on fire. Spender is revealing to us here that these truly great people dwell in a constant light where the
hours are suns. The sun is the main source of energy on earth. It is brilliant and a source of great inspiration, therefore
Spender could be saying that their every hour was a source of great inspiration full of achievement. Spender goes on to
state that these great people had ambition, and their ambition could be seen by the words that they spoke to the
people. Over here one can question whether Spender was referring to himself, or all renowned poets, as poets are
known for making an impact on the world through their words. Spender concludes the first stanza by stating that the
truly great discussed their ambitions with full energy, like the blossoms of spring which are another symbol of life itself,
they brought much change and happiness into the world through their constant toils.

The Second Stanza

The second stanza uses Symbolism again to refer to the hard work of the truly great as blood drawn from springs. He
states that there is an essential happiness that accompanies drawing the blood from springs, showing us that these
individuals conducted all their great acts and hard work with true happiness and not while complaining. Spender states
that their effort has broken through rocks before our earth, which is another way to say that their efforts are timeless.
Spender concludes this stanza by discussing how the truly great never allowed traffic, or rather, discouraging words and
distractions to prevent them from reaching for their goals and ambitions. Spender once again discusses ‘the spirit’ which
most likely refers to the vision and willpower these great individuals possessed.

The Third Stanza

The last stanza is very descriptive and full of imagery. This stanza has one main message and that is that these people
will never be forgotten. This is an elaboration of his statement in the second stanza in which he states that ‘what is
precious is never to forget’. Apart from referring to the work of the individuals as something precious, Spender now
refers to the individuals themselves as precious too. Spender is stating that in every high place on earth; the snow of the
mountaintops, the waving grass-filled meadows, the clouds and the winds all whisper the names of these great people.
In this stanza Spender reveals that these heroes may not be poets but rather military individuals who lost their lives
fighting for their country because of his description of their effort as ‘fought for life’. The first stanza also mentioned
their efforts as blood drawn from wells so it is very likely that Spender had written this poem about military individuals,
especially since The Truly Great was written shortly after world war one.

The last verse in the poem is truly artistic in the way it glorifies these great people. Spender states that they were born
of the sun which is a metaphor for the fact that they were so full of energy and life that they followed their dreams and
ambitions and in doing so signed the air with their honor, or in other words, they left a lasting mark on the world.

Literary Devices

Using Metaphors, Symbolism, Enjambment and beautiful imagery; Stephen Spender has created a wonderful piece of
literary art in which he successfully manages to glorify and remind the reader not to forget those who have made great
sacrifices to bring better changes into our lives. Spender successfully guides the reader through the achievements of
those of the past, without directly mentioning any particular event. It is not exactly clear who is being praised in The
Truly Great, but it could be a poem about poets and how much they have contributed to bringing change in the world, or
it could be a poem about war and glorifying the military persons who lost their lives trying to defend us. Lastly, it could
be a poem defining what greatness truly is in all aspects of life.

What legacy do great people leave behind them?

"The Truly Great" by Stephen Spender is sometimes known by its incipit, or first line, "I think continually of those who
were truly great." What is left behind by the "truly great" of the poem is determined by Spender's attempt to redefine
"true" greatness and separate it from what is conventionally called "great."

Many history books tend to associate greatness with wealth or power, describing political or military leaders,
technological innovators, and the wealthy and powerful as great. For Spender, greatness is something internal,
determined by people's inner spirit or nature rather than by their external accomplishments.
What the truly great leave behind is "the flowering of the spirit," which inspires even nature itself with its overflowing
lightness, brilliance, and intensity. It is not something concrete but something spiritual, and this legacy of spirit, Spender
suggests, transforms our world even if we have never directly met or encountered the (perhaps humble) people who
have great spirits.

Traditionally, those who are considered great in a standard sense leave tangible, physical legacies behind them. They
win awards, people name things after them, people build monuments to them, and so on.

In this poem, though, the great leave a different legacy behind them. Instead of being celebrated by crowds of people,
their names are celebrated by "waving grass." The clouds celebrate them, as does the wind. In other words, the great
leave no coarse or crude legacy. Instead, nature celebrates them, invisibly.

These natural forces celebrate the great because of the superior quality of their spirits and their passions. Rather than
focusing on money or winning battles, the great spent their lives fighting for life. That's a subtle thing, but a lovely one,
yes?

What is the meaning of the poem "I think continually of those who were truly great"?

The poem starts out sounding like an homage to great people in history. As the first stanza develops, however, the
speaker seems to be saying more about how greatness is born of the connection between generations and the
connection between humanity and nature.

The great ones remember the soul's history, meaning they understand the past. They have a significant, maybe even
spiritual, connection to human history and world history. The "endless and singing" "corridors of light" represent the
perpetual enlightenment that is always available for human potential. The energy of the world and the universe runs
through that greatness. Everything is connected.

In the second stanza, the speaker entwines notions of human life and the natural world. This suggests an inherent
connection. There is something ecological or symbiotic about this. Note that in this stanza, the speaker warns:

Never to allow gradually the traffic to smother

With noise and fog the flowering of the spirit.

The speaker is suggesting that "traffic" (technological noise and distraction) can disrupt the human/nature connection.
Spender uses the "flowering of the spirit" metaphor to emphasize this connection between nature ("flower") and the
human "spirit."

In the final stanza, the speaker personifies aspects of nature, claiming that they praise (fete) the great ones in history. In
the final two lines, the speaker concludes by describing how the influence of great people is left in the "vivid air." Their
influence can be seen and remembered in human culture. Spender ends with another notion of nature ("air"). It's as if to
say their influence is not only written in books, but also in the natural air itself.
Humans are of the earth. Their energy comes from the Sun. Therefore, their greatness is literally and poetically linked to
nature. Connection is an important theme here. The greatest ones remember the soul's past. Spender is showing how
they are connected to others across time and how they are connected to nature itself. It is a very optimistic and hopeful
poem because it is all about human potential as well as historical, ecological, and spiritual connection.

What Distinct Quality Of Those Who Are Great Does The Persona Mention In The First Stanza

The first stanza of "The Truly Great" by Stephen Spender consists of eight lines of unrhymed free verse. The first person
narrator speaks a sort of interior monologue, reflecting on " those who were truly great."

The most interesting feature of this poem is that Spender's narrator considers "greatness" as defined by personality
rather than action. In other words, his "truly great" are not those who accomplish great deeds, but those with a specific
sort of character, one that burns with a Paterian "hard, gemlike flame."

The description in the first stanza, which does appear very heavily influenced by Pater's essays on Platonism, focuses on
the souls of the great in the womb, who remember their history of direct apprehension of the One or God before the
soul descends into the body, according the Plato's middle dialogues. This remembrance inspires the great to live their
lives in an intense and inspired fashion, always remembering and striving towards great ideals.

The quality of "The Truly Great" that the narrator discusses in the first stanza is inspiration. These great individuals
remember "the soul's spirit"—that is, they are in touch with the passion of creation that comes from the soul. The truly
great come from a type of eternal place where the sun is always shining. They speak of things that come from the soul,
and their lips are "touched with fire," meaning they overflow with passionate belief in what they do and say. These great
souls are filled with overwhelming desire, and they have passions that they want to fulfill. In the second stanza, the
narrator says that the blood of these great people comes from "ageless springs," meaning there is something eternal
and everlasting about the passion and inspiration of the truly great.