Works of Thomas Hardy discussion

The Man He Killed

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 as 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.

Jean asked me to post another poem this week since the person who was going to post this week is ill. I thought it might be interesting to look at a completely different sort of poem than the ones I ordinarily associate with Hardy.

This poem was written in 1902 and first published in the same year in Harper's Weekly. It's interesting to contrast this poem, written toward the end of the Second Boer War (1899-1902) with "Drummer Hodge," another anti-war poem written toward the beginning of the Boer War. The sense of wistful loss in the earlier poem is here replaced by what feels to me an almost savage disillusionment.

Even the form in "The Man He Killed" feels atypical with its awkward pauses (marked by dashes) and repetitions. The directness of this poem reminds me of some poetry by later poets disillusioned by the first world war such as Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon.

"The Man He Killed" was first published in book form in 1909 in Time's Laughingstocks and Other Verses. War poetry was not a passing interest for Hardy. He included a whole section of anti-war poetry under the grouping "Poems of War and Patriotism" in his later Moments of Vision and Miscellaneous Verses published in 1919.

This poem was published in 1902, but is rather prophetic for what lied ahead for Europe.

John wrote: "This poem was published in 1902, but is rather prophetic for what lied ahead for Europe."

Indeed John! I know you commented before I had added the extra comment about the Boer War, but it does strike me as well how similar this poem is in manner to some later poetry about the first world war.

As an American, I didn't hear much about the second Boer War in school, but in researching this poem, it sounds like a terrible situation. After the Boer launched a guerilla campaign of hit-and-run attacks and ambushes, things got much worse. The British ended up ordering several scorched earth policies, including putting over 100,000 Boer citizens into concentration camps where almost 26,000 died of starvation and disease.

The poem has a conversational tone as the soldier tells us how similar the dead soldier is to himself. If they had just met by chance at a pub, he would have been happy to treat him to a drink. It shows the viewpoint of an ordinary man with his colloquial speech.

It hits home how senseless war is, and it's just a matter of luck or fate that he is the living soldier. He doesn't even know why they are shooting at each other since they probably have a lot in common.

In the third stanza, he hesitates when he is thinking why he shot the other man, and Hardy uses the repetition of "because" effectively.

"I shot him dead because --
Because he was my foe,"

Greg wrote: "John wrote: "This poem was published in 1902, but is rather prophetic for what lied ahead for Europe."

Indeed John! I know you commented before I had added the extra comment about the Boer War, bu..."

Very interesting. I am not well-versed in the Boer War.

Thanks for all your fascinating introductory information, Greg.

Connie wrote: "The poem has a conversational tone as the soldier tells us how similar the dead soldier is to himself. If they had just met by chance at a pub, he would have been happy to treat him to a drink. It ..."

Wonderful insights Connie; I read the poem in exactly the same way. I particularly like your description of the "conversational tone." That's very true.

And I also agree with you about the repetition of "because." It's as though the speaker has to pause to figure out the reason, as though he's just realizing that he himself isn't sure why. He repeats the word "because" to begin again after the pregnant pause. The dash and the repetition are both effective there as you say.

Has anyone ever seen the movie "Joyeux Noel"? This particular poem reminds me of the incident described in the movie. It's a true story about an incident in the first world war where the troops of different enemy camps declared an impromptu truce on Christmas. It's an extraordinary movie with a mix of spoken French, English, and German. I highly recommend it, especially for this time of year. I inflicted it upon shared it with my family members one Christmas years ago. So touching!

I'm really enjoying all these comments, and am so pleased you picked this poem Greg. I don't know Thomas Hardy's war poems at all well, but this one is perfect as our first one - and for this time of year. As Connie says "It hits home how senseless war is".

The film you mention is about an extraordinary event, famous to anyone in Europe. I haven't seen that film but here is the wiki entry for the Christmas Truce during World War I, 1914 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christm...

I think it's one of the most poignant events in European history.

I found the line interesting:

"Yes; quaint and curious war is."

The situation going on toward the end of the Second Boer War hardly seems "quaint," and "curious" too is such a mild word. This line strikes me a deeply ironic or sarcastic.

What do you think Hardy is doing here?

Great observation/question, Greg! Those words do indicate sarcasm to me. It's the final turn of the poem, and Hardy is driving home his point that war is ugly, not quaint. With the word "quaint", Hardy echoes the first stanza which is rather quaint. Two chums buying each other drinks; the use of the word "nipperkin" even seems quaint (though perhaps not in 1902.)

Curious is another matter. It seems to me that war is, actually a curious matter. How are peaceful men and women stirred to violence against each other? So, the line reads both sarcastic and true to me.

You mentioned one of my favorite poet's Wilfred Owen in your first comment. "The Man He Killed" in particular made me think of Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est", especially the endings. Owen is picking up where Hardy leaves off when he writes

"My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori."
(It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country)

Both poems are arguing for the disillusionment of war. I think that's the main point of "quaint and curious war is", and indeed the whole poem.

It strikes me now, that when I compare those two poems, Hardy's seems almost quaint to me. Which makes me sad, because the violence and savage disillusionment is all there in Hardy's poem. It's not really quaint at all, I just can't escape my own knowledge of history. The horrors that were to come, make 1902 seem like a walk on a sunny day.

Greg wrote: "John wrote: "This poem was published in 1902, but is rather prophetic for what lied ahead for Europe."

Indeed John! I know you commented before I had added the extra comment about the Boer War, bu..."

Yes...the first concentration camps. Although we tend to associate them with Germany in WW2, the first were in South Africa, and Winston Churchill got his first battle experience in the Boer War

Dorothy wrote: "Yes...the first concentration camps. Although we tend to associate them with Germany in WW2, the first were in South Africa, and Winston Churchill got his first battle experience in the Boer War"

It's interesting Dorothy, I knew next to nothing about the Boer War before researching this poem.

Bridget wrote: "Great observation/question, Greg! Those words do indicate sarcasm to me. It's the final turn of the poem, and Hardy is driving home his point that war is ugly, not quaint. With the word "quaint", H..."

Thanks for all these wonderful thoughts Bridget! I'm so sorry I missed them at first - my Goodreads notifications are sometimes wonky.

I completely agree with all you say, especially the disillusionment. And Wilfred Owen is one of my favorite poets as well . . . so talented! It's such a loss that he died so young!

I am enjoying the commentary here. World War 1 produced some wonderful poets. I would say all of them shared a love and affinity for Hardy.

I purchased a book about these poets and hope to get to it soon.

Some Desperate Glory: The First World War the Poets Knew

John wrote: "I am enjoying the commentary here. World War 1 produced some wonderful poets. I would say all of them shared a love and affinity for Hardy.

I purchased a book about these poets and hope to get to..."

Looks like a great book John!

Greg wrote: "John wrote: "I am enjoying the commentary here. World War 1 produced some wonderful poets. I would say all of them shared a love and affinity for Hardy.

I purchased a book about these poets and h..."

Greg, I am looking forward to it. My favorite World War 1 poet is Isaac Rosenberg. So much great potential. Sadly, the war took him.

Thank so much for leading this thought provoking read Greg. Our new poem begins today, but I'll leave this current for a while too :)

I'm late to this discussion; but I found the poem (like the one the group read previously) really powerful, and appreciated the added depth brought to it by the different comments!

Werner wrote: "I'm late to this discussion; but I found the poem (like the one the group read previously) really powerful, and appreciated the added depth brought to it by the different comments!"

Thanks Werner! Glad you got around to reading it. I found it powerful as well.

It's interesting in the timing of publication, because by 1902 there would not have been anything as formal as "infantry"- left in the Zuid Afrikaansche forces. The early stages of the war involved more formal battles where the British sustained some serious losses, but by the end it was small groups of men on horses harassing the British forces.

Deneys Reitz who was a general wrote two books about his experiences as a very young man during the war. Sol Plaatje wrote about his experience at the siege of Mafeking as a Black man.

The British would transfer their experience on concentration camps to Kenya later in the century. In South Africa it was described as a "scorched earth" strategy to ensure that the men fighting could not be provisioned from the farms.

Author John Buchan was part of the reconstruction administration after the war.

My great-great-great grandfather was the president who issued the ultimatum which would start the Anglo Boer War.

Carolien wrote: "It's interesting in the timing of publication, because by 1902 there would not have been anything as formal as "infantry"- left in the Zuid Afrikaansche forces. The early stages of the war involved..."

Wow, that's fascinating Carolien! You would know much more than me about the Boer War clearly - all I know is what I learned from internet research. Did any of your relatives ever talk about their forbears' experiences? As an American, I had not even heard of the Boer wars before.

I guess you're saying that most of the British deaths were done by that year when the poem was written? Though perhaps not the civilian native deaths? If that was still going on, maybe Hardy was troubled by it?

Thank you for the book references! I gather those would give me a much fuller idea of what happened.

Carolien wrote: "It's interesting in the timing of publication, because by 1902 there would not have been anything as formal as "infantry"- left in the Zuid Afrikaansche forces. The early stages of the war involved..."

That is most interesting. It has motivated me to look up the history of the conflict.

Sorry for the late response — just got home from a 12 day trip, so have just read "The Man He Killed" and it reminded me of two things, both from the First World War:

— The Christmas truce which happened along the Western Front around Christmas 1914, when soldiers paused the war to come together and met in 'No Man's Land' for handshakes, songs, tobacco and wine.
— And, strangely, the death of Kipling's son John at the Battle of Loos in September 1915. He was only 18 years old. As a result, Kipling, a passionate proponent of the war although he was critical of how it was being fought, would write "Epitaphs of the War," including the line "If any question why we died / Tell them, because our fathers lied."

I've always wondered how it was to face others in battle. Today, its very often a remote battle but in the Boer War, and much of World War I, you were seeing the face of the men fighting you and I can't imagine not thinking of them as Hardy recounts in this piece.

Pamela wrote: "Sorry for the late response — just got home from a 12 day trip, so have just read "The Man He Killed" and it reminded me of two things, both from the First World War:

— The Christmas truce which ..."

Thanks for your thoughts Pamela. Glad you got around to reading it when you got back, and I hope you had a good trip!

It's funny you mention the Christmas truce - that came up for others as well. And I can see why the quote by Kipling came up for you; I didn't know that about his son.

Greg, my grand-parents were born after the war, so never really spoke about it, although one of my great-grandmother's was held as a child in one of the camps. British deaths definitely petered out and by the end the majority was civilian deaths in the camps, not even the guerrillas.

This memorial is close to Pretoria and I have visited it a few times: https://www.theheritageportal.co.za/a...

The war is often characterised as mainly between the Afrikaans speaking "Boere" (literally farmers) and British empire for the gold of Johannesburg, but it was more complicated. It also ensnared the local Black populations. https://sahistory.org.za/article/blac...

It's also sometimes forgotten that this was the second war between the parties. In South Africa it is more often known as the Second Freedom War. The first one was in 1880-1881 and the British lost that one. https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/.... The Battle of Majuba is remembered to this day for the fact that the red uniforms worn by the British army in those days turned out to be a very bad idea in a war in the African bush. It showed up and gave away their positions clearly and thus by the second war their uniform had changed to brown khaki.

One of the best sources is The Boer War by Thomas Pakenham. It was another of those wars which everyone expected to be finished by Christmas 1899 and then dragged on and cost the British a small fortune. The generals who fought here then went to WWI and initially relied on what worked in the African bush with the success that could be expected.

Carolien wrote: "Greg, my grand-parents were born after the war, so never really spoke about it, although one of my great-grandmother's was held as a child in one of the camps. British deaths definitely petered out..."

Thanks very much Carolien for the links! The group is lucky to have your insight, and I especially appreciated the link about the memorial.

It's a very different situation, but both of my spouse's parents were interned in the camps in the USA during Japanese internment. I've walked through a barracks that was preserved from the camp, and we've gone to the memorial markers for the camp they stayed in (where my spouse's grandmother died). It's an emotional experience for the family, even so many years later, to visit there.

Greg wrote: "Carolien wrote: "Greg, my grand-parents were born after the war, so never really spoke about it, although one of my great-grandmother's was held as a child in one of the camps. British deaths defin..."

I can imagine. George Takei who played Sulu in Star Trek many years ago and has written a graphic novel based on his experience of the internment camps set up in the US during WW2

There are many examples which I think get lost in the focus on the WWII German built camps. (Partly because it is then easier to deny local cases and point to a single "bad" nation).

The ones in Kenya are mostly forgotten. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o writes about it in A Grain of Wheat and Caroline Elkins won a Pulitzer for Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya, but other than that I have not seen them mentioned.

Carolien wrote: "There are many examples which I think get lost in the focus on the WWII German built camps. (Partly because it is then easier to deny local cases and point to a single "bad" nation).

The ones in ..."

Yes, I'll admit that I had never heard of the Kenyan camps before.

I knew about the camps in South Africa and Kenya before; but of course I was a history major, and then too, A Grain of Wheat was required reading when I was in college.

He thought he'd 'list, perhaps,
Off-hand like — just as I —
Was out of work — had sold his traps —
No other reason why.

I don't have much to add to the wonderful comments already posted, but I wanted to highlight this particular stanza. In this case, it seems the reason some were fighting wasn't even due to being manipulated or to feeling any sense of patriotism. To think that some signed up simply due to lack of work or lack of any other purpose just adds an additional layer to the senselessness of it all.

Oh yes - great observation Jane. It really turns the knife, (metaphorically) doesn't it?