"I Hear an Army" is a poem by Irish author James Joyce. While mainly known for his novels (including Ulysses, Finnegans Wake, and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man), Joyce also dabbled in poetry. This poem appears in his first collection, Chamber Music (1907), and it describes an invasion by a frightening army of ghoulish, green-haired soldiers in horse-drawn chariots. Soon enough, it becomes clear that the speaker is dreaming, and that this army represents a nightmarish onslaught of negative and painful emotions brought on by heartbreak.
|
Get
LitCharts
|
|
The Full Text of “I Hear an Army”
1I hear an army charging upon the land,
2And the thunder of horses plunging, foam about their knees:
3Arrogant, in black armour, behind them stand,
4Disdaining the reins, with fluttering whips, the charioteers.
5They cry unto the night their battle-name:
6I moan in sleep when I hear afar their whirling laughter.
7They cleave the gloom of dreams, a blinding flame,
8Clanging, clanging upon the heart as upon an anvil.
9They come shaking in triumph their long, green hair:
10They come out of the sea and run shouting by the shore.
11My heart, have you no wisdom thus to despair?
12My love, my love, my love, why have you left me alone?
The Full Text of “I Hear an Army”
1I hear an army charging upon the land,
2And the thunder of horses plunging, foam about their knees:
3Arrogant, in black armour, behind them stand,
4Disdaining the reins, with fluttering whips, the charioteers.
5They cry unto the night their battle-name:
6I moan in sleep when I hear afar their whirling laughter.
7They cleave the gloom of dreams, a blinding flame,
8Clanging, clanging upon the heart as upon an anvil.
9They come shaking in triumph their long, green hair:
10They come out of the sea and run shouting by the shore.
11My heart, have you no wisdom thus to despair?
12My love, my love, my love, why have you left me alone?
-
“I Hear an Army” Summary
-
-
“I Hear an Army” Themes
-
The Pain of Heartbreak
- See where this theme is active in the poem.
-
-
Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “I Hear an Army”
-
Lines 1-2
I hear an army charging upon the land,
And the thunder of horses plunging, foam about their knees: -
Lines 3-4
Arrogant, in black armour, behind them stand,
Disdaining the reins, with fluttering whips, the charioteers. -
Lines 5-8
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. -
Lines 9-10
They come shaking in triumph their long, green hair:
They come out of the sea and run shouting by the shore. -
Lines 11-12
My heart, have you no wisdom thus to despair?
My love, my love, my love, why have you left me alone?
-
-
“I Hear an Army” Symbols
-
The Army
- See where this symbol appears in the poem.
-
-
“I Hear an Army” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
-
Apostrophe
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Assonance
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Caesura
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Cacophony
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Imagery
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Repetition
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
-
“I Hear an Army” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Charging
- Plunging
- Disdaining
- Reins
- Fluttering
- Charioteers
- Unto
- Battle-name
- Afar
- Whirling
- Cleave
- Gloom
- Clanging
- Anvil
- Triumph
- Have you no wisdom thus to despair?
-
- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
-
Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “I Hear an Army”
-
Form
-
Meter
-
Rhyme Scheme
-
-
“I Hear an Army” Speaker
-
-
“I Hear an Army” Setting
-
-
Literary and Historical Context of “I Hear an Army”
-
-
More “I Hear an Army” Resources
-
External Resources
-
Chamber Music — Check out the 1907 poetry collection in which "I Hear an Army" appears.
-
Joyce's Words on Joyce's Work — Read excerpts from Joyce's correspondence that relay his feelings about the poems in Chamber Music.
-
The Poem Set to Music — Listen to a musical setting of the poem by American composer Samuel Barber.
-
More Poems by Joyce — A selection of Joyce's other poetry, hosted by the Poetry Foundation.
-
Joyce's Place in Irish Poetry — A brief survey of where Joyce stands in Irish literature, specifically as a poet rather than a novelist.
-
-
Ask LitCharts AI:
The answer to your questions
Powered by LitCharts content and AI.
