I Hear an Army by James Joyce 

- 1882-1941

I hear an army charging upon the land,

  and the thunder of horses plunging, foam about their knees:
arrogant, in black armour, behind them stand,
  disdaining the reins, with fluttering whips, the charioteers.

They cry unto the night their battle-name:

  I moan in sleep when I hear afar their whirling laughter.
They cleave the gloom of dreams, a blinding flame,
  clanging, clanging upon the heart as upon an anvil.

They come shaking in triumph their long, green hair:

  they come out of the sea and run shouting by the shore.
My heart, have you no wisdom thus to despair?
  My love, my love, my love, why have you left me alone?

Themes:
i. nightmare
ii. lost love/ being abandoned : the army and it’s horrors are personifying
iii. a political prophecy of World War 1- this poem was written in 1904 and the actual war
started in 1910- at the time the poem was being written, there was political unrest – the last
line in this theme indicates poet’s lament for the loss of humanity/civilisation
iv: Spiritual Salvation: a heretic, a man who had renounced the Catholic Church- the poem could
be his fear of being reprimanded by God where army could personify the angels ready to hold
him accountable

Analysis:
Stanza 1:
Tone: threatening/impending doom
-stanza open with a vivid description
- description of an army that is moving across the land
i. army: literal interpretation goes with the theme of war- army could imply poet’s crushing
feelings of loneliness or
ii. charging: literally is moving quickly and aggressively towards someone- suggestive of enemy
approaching with hostility and aggression- no mercy to be expected
iii. land: poet’s home country/ personal space- implies his heart
iv. thunder of horses plunging, foam about their knees: plunging and foam create an imagery
of a huge, aggressively moving army- implies poet’s feelings of despair attacking him viciously,
without mercy- thunder also reflects the poet’s childhood fear of thunder and lightening
v. arrogant, in black armour: description of the horse riders (charioteers)- arrogant indicates
the army’s merciless nature since arrogance does not let one to think once for others- poet
should not expect any leniency from these men- also implies his feelings of despair are crushing
him/not showing any mercy- black symbolises cruelty, harshness- soldiers/feelings in black
armour are invincible.
Vi: disdaining the reins and fluttering whips: disdaining (meaning: refuse to do something out
of pride) an image of a hostile ferocious army- confident in nature and experienced as don’t
require reins to control their horses- fluttering whips suggestive of the fact that the poet should
not expect any mercy from them, they are invading with an intention to hurt physically- true for
both physical army and poet’s feelings

Stanza 2:
- No shift in tone, the poet continues with an aggressive tone
i. cry unto the night: refers to the battle cry of soldiers- implies the fear created by the
feelings of the poet
ii. moan in sleep: gives reader a hint that poet is dreaming, hence the theme of a
nightmare
iii. whirling laughter: suggestive of being surrounded from all four sides- implies the
victory of poet’s cruel feelings in mentally torturing him
 iv.   clanging, clanging upon the heart as upon an anvil: the repetition of the
onomatopoeia ‘clanging’ suggests the pain and torture the soldiers/feelings inflict
on poet’s heart- a simile is used to suggest the force of beating (just as
v. a blacksmith hammers the metal to give it some shape)

Stanza 3:
Tone: questioning/despairing
i. come shaking in triumph & long green hair: create an imagery of monstrous figures
who could instill a great fear in anyone’s heart. Triumph indicates the poet’s feelings
overpowering him and causing a turmoil deep within
ii. Last two lines of the third stanza: rhetorical questions that also shape the theme of
this poem- ‘no wisdom thus to despair’ is poet’s musings on his own reaction to the
terrible experience – trying to make himself realise the extent of damage done,
hence from the point of view of spiritual salvation, it’s high time he should repent.
iii. Last line shows repetition of ‘My love’, suggesting poet’s desperation in looking for
answers for his present state- also suggests poet’s despair arising because of his
beloved’s betrayal- another interpretation could be poet lamenting the loss of
civilisation and humanity- questioning humanity of its weak state and allowing war
and destruction to take over.