Poetry · Chapter
The Trumpet explained
A dawn call to rise and awaken, urging listeners to forget earthly concerns and embrace the newborn beauty of the morning, as the trumpet's sound chases away dreams and scatters the dew left by lovers.
What happens
A dawn call to rise and awaken, urging listeners to forget earthly concerns and embrace the newborn beauty of the morning, as the trumpet's sound chases away dreams and scatters the dew left by lovers.
Themes in this chapter
Nature and the Seasons
The dawn, dew, stars, and air are central to the imagery of awakening and renewal.
War and Mortality
The final line 'To the old wars' evokes a sense of conflict and the enduring call to face struggle.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The speaker who calls out to rise and awaken at dawn.
Key passages
“Rise up, rise up, And, as the trumpet blowing Chases the dreams of men, As the dawn glowing The stars that left unlit The land and water, Rise up and scatter The dew that covers The print of last night’s lovers— Scatter it, scatter it!”
Awaken, for the trumpet's call dispels human dreams just as dawn extinguishes the stars, and go out to sweep away the dew hiding the traces of last night's lovers.
The trumpet is a herald of morning, erasing both dreams and the physical marks of nighttime intimacy.
“Open your eyes to the air That has washed the eyes of the stars Through all the dewy night: Up with the light, To the old wars; Arise, arise!”
Look upon the air that has cleansed the stars' gaze all night long, and rise with the daylight to face ancient conflicts.
The final call ties the freshness of dawn to the enduring human experience of war.