[اطلق سراب]

The Man He Killed ~Thomas Hardy

"Had he and I but met
By some old ancient inn,
We should have sat us down to wet
Right many a nipperkin!
"But ranged as infantry,
And staring face to face,
I shot at him and he at me,
And killed him in his place.
"I shot him dead because –
Because he was my foe,
Just so – my foe of course he was;
That's clear enough; although
"He thought he'd 'list perhaps,
Off-hand like – just as I –
Was out of work – had sold his traps –
No other reason why.
"Yes; quaint and curious war is!
You shoot a fellow down
You'd treat if met where any bar is,
Or help to half-a-crown

الشرح

The Man He Killed
By Thomas Hardy

The meaning of the words:
Inn: place where people come together and drink.
To wet: to make full of liquid.
Ranged: employed in army.
Infantry: soldier.
Foe: enemy.
Off-hand: not that thought, did not really think about.
Traps: belonging.
Quaint: strange.
Curious: strange mysterious.
Treat: reward.
Crow: a coin, a part of pound, insentient.
………………………………………………………………………………………….
Paraphrasing:
Had he and I but met
By some old ancient inn,
We should have sat us down to wet
Right many a nipperkin!
The speaker says that if we had met in some inn we might have become friends and drinks together many glasses and has good relation.
But ranged as infantry,
And staring face to face,
I shot at him as he at me,
And killed him in his place.
As I am recruited in the army I found myself in front of his face and we both shoot at each other but I killed him directly.
I shot him dead because- -
Because he was my foe,
Just so: foe of course he was:
That’s clear enough: although
I killed him because he was my enemy there is no other reason. It is simple that he is conforming himself that what he did is the right thing. As a reader I understand that he is not convinced by what he did that he can not complete the sentence.
He thought he'd list, perhaps,
Off-hand-like- just as I –
Was out of work- had sold his traps-
No other reason why.
May be joined the army without a lot of consideration just as I- I was so poor I did not have a job. I sold everything from my stuff. There is mo other reason.
Yes: quaint and curious war is!
You shoot a fellow down
You'd treat, if met where any bar is,
Or help to half-a-crown
If I met the person in a different situation, I would invite him to drink. Or if I found him extremely poor I would have give him money. I am not actually a criminal I am actually a caring and friendly person.
……………………………………………………………………………………
The speaker:
The speaker is a solider. He is uneducated man and poor. He is trying to convince himself of what he did. That he killed person because he is his enemy. But really deep inside he is not convinced. The mistakes in his language shows that the speaker is so confused that he can not complete a whole sentence. The conclusion of that war is a very mysterious and strange state of affairs that turns us to criminals, even we are friendly people.
Purpose:
The poet wants us to realize that war is inhuman. To do this purpose he put a solider as the speaker.
Theme:
This poem presents war as an abnormal and inhuman state of affairs. It uses simple people who have no grudge and convinces them that they are enemies to each other, puts them in a situation where they instantly kill each other. These young men have in fact no reason to hate each other they just joined the war mainly because they are extremely poor and needed some income. It is very sad that they find themselves turned into killers