He Fell Among Thieves – Sir Henry Newbolt Analysis
He fell among Thieves – Sir Henry Newbolt
‘Ye have robb’d,’ said he, ‘ye have slaughter’d and made an end,
Prisoner is speaking to the Guard/his capturer, telling him what he thinks about the genocide, and completely destroyed there enemy
Take your ill-got plunder, and bury the dead:
“Ill-got” – acquired by evil, dishonest means
“Plunder” – robbed valuables, to rob of goods by force.
Prisoner is telling the guard to take back his possessions (the prisoners obviously got caught stealing possessions from the enemy)
“Bury the dead” – once he’s retrieved all the possessions the prisoners will die and get buried
What will ye more of your guest and sometime friend?’
What are you going to do with me? What you going to do with all of us?
‘Blood for our blood,’ they said.
Senses of Revenge, the prisoners are getting killed, just as the prisoners killed the men of the enemy.
He laugh’d: ‘If one may settle the score for five,
The prisoners still abrasive/cocky in the face of death.
“If one may settle the score for five” – Saying that for every 5 enemies, one prisoner would die, stating that his country killed more, and died less.
I am ready; but let the reckoning stand till day:
I have loved the sunlight as dearly as any alive.’
‘You shall die at dawn,’ said they.
Hes ready to die, but he wants to see one more sunrise before he dies.
“Reckoning” - The action or process of calculating or estimating something
He flung his empty revolver down the slope,
He was captured because he ran out of bullets, and couldn’t defend himself.
He climb’d alone to the Eastward edge of the trees;
He wanted a better view of the sunrise
All night long in a dream untroubled of hope
He brooded, clasping his knees.
He knew he was going to die, he accepted his fate, and so his thoughts didn’t contain any hope.
“He brooded, clasping his knees” Portrays the image of the prisoners thought process.
He did not hear the monotonous roar that
‘Ye have robb’d,’ said he, ‘ye have slaughter’d and made an end,
Prisoner is speaking to the Guard/his capturer, telling him what he thinks about the genocide, and completely destroyed there enemy
Take your ill-got plunder, and bury the dead:
“Ill-got” – acquired by evil, dishonest means
“Plunder” – robbed valuables, to rob of goods by force.
Prisoner is telling the guard to take back his possessions (the prisoners obviously got caught stealing possessions from the enemy)
“Bury the dead” – once he’s retrieved all the possessions the prisoners will die and get buried
What will ye more of your guest and sometime friend?’
What are you going to do with me? What you going to do with all of us?
‘Blood for our blood,’ they said.
Senses of Revenge, the prisoners are getting killed, just as the prisoners killed the men of the enemy.
He laugh’d: ‘If one may settle the score for five,
The prisoners still abrasive/cocky in the face of death.
“If one may settle the score for five” – Saying that for every 5 enemies, one prisoner would die, stating that his country killed more, and died less.
I am ready; but let the reckoning stand till day:
I have loved the sunlight as dearly as any alive.’
‘You shall die at dawn,’ said they.
Hes ready to die, but he wants to see one more sunrise before he dies.
“Reckoning” - The action or process of calculating or estimating something
He flung his empty revolver down the slope,
He was captured because he ran out of bullets, and couldn’t defend himself.
He climb’d alone to the Eastward edge of the trees;
He wanted a better view of the sunrise
All night long in a dream untroubled of hope
He brooded, clasping his knees.
He knew he was going to die, he accepted his fate, and so his thoughts didn’t contain any hope.
“He brooded, clasping his knees” Portrays the image of the prisoners thought process.
He did not hear the monotonous roar that