# XXXVI: I Hear an Army Charging Upon the Land explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by James Joyce.

## What happens

The narrator describes a terrifying dream vision of an army charging across the land, with thunderous horses and black-armored charioteers. The army cries out its battle-name, and the narrator moans in sleep, feeling the clanging upon the heart. The army emerges from the sea, shaking green hair, and the narrator despairs, asking why love has left them alone.

## Themes in this chapter

### Isolation and Connection

The narrator's despair and cry of abandonment highlight a profound sense of isolation after love has departed.

### Mortality and Sleep

The dream vision of a charging army blurs the boundary between sleep and death, with the narrator moaning in sleep.

### Nature and Mood

The imagery of horses, sea, and shore creates a tumultuous mood that mirrors the narrator's inner turmoil.

## Character check-ins

### Narrator

The speaker who hears the army and moans in sleep, expressing despair and longing.

### Love

Addressed in the final line as 'my love,' who has left the narrator alone.

### Death

Implied presence through the army's charging and the dream's ominous tone.

## Key lines

> I hear an army charging upon the land, And the thunder of horses plunging, foam about their knees

I hear a military force advancing across the countryside, with the loud noise of horses galloping and foam splashing around their legs.

_Opens the poem with a vivid auditory and visual image of a dream army._

> My heart, have you no wisdom thus to despair? My love, my love, my love, why have you left me alone?

My heart, do you lack the understanding to avoid this despair? My beloved, why have you abandoned me to solitude?

_Final lines express the narrator's emotional collapse and plea to a departed lover._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xxxvi-i-hear-an-army-charging-upon-the-land
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_11_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters