Poetry · Chapter
To Gordon, Leaving Khartoum explained
A poetic elegy for General Gordon, celebrating his martyrdom and spiritual triumph in Khartoum.
What happens
A poetic elegy for General Gordon, celebrating his martyrdom and spiritual triumph in Khartoum. The poem contrasts the chaos of battle and the silence of death with the serene flow of the Nile, portraying Gordon as a true servant of God who wielded the sword for peace and love of life. His death is framed as a victory and a homecoming to heaven, leaving his spirit behind as an enduring legacy.
Themes in this chapter
Redemption and Grace
Gordon's death is portrayed as a redemptive victory, with his spirit ascending to heaven and his sacrifice inspiring others.
Suffering and Purification
The violence and carnage of war are contrasted with Gordon's peaceful death, which purifies him into a saintly figure.
Love as Ultimate Strength
Gordon's love of life and peace is highlighted as the motive for his actions, even in wielding the sword.
Characters to notice
- General Gordon
The central figure of the elegy, celebrated as a martyr and 'the dead man of the Lord' who died for truth and peace.
- God
Referenced as 'the Lord' whose arm Gordon is called, and as the one who welcomes Gordon to heaven.
- Death
Implied as the 'stormy release' and the state of lying 'still as a child' after the fatal shot.
Key passages
“The silence of traitorous feet! The silence of close-pent rage! The roar, and the sudden heart-beat! And the shot through the true heart going, The truest heart of the age!”
The quiet approach of betrayal, the suppressed fury, the explosion of battle, and the fatal bullet that struck the most loyal heart of the era.
Describes the moment of Gordon's assassination amid the chaos of the siege.
“Still as a child he lies; The wind of the desert is blowing Across the dead man of the Lord; And the Nile is softly flowing.”
He lies motionless like a sleeping child, while the desert wind passes over the body of God's servant, and the Nile continues its gentle course.
Contrasts the stillness of death with the natural world's indifference.
“But the song is stilled in heaven To welcome one more king: For the truth he hath witnessed and striven, And let the world go crowing, And Mammon’s church-bell go ring, And the Nile blood-red go flowing!”
Heaven's music pauses to greet another king—Gordon—who testified to truth and struggled, while the world boasts, the church of wealth rings its bells, and the Nile runs red with blood.
Portrays Gordon's heavenly welcome as a reward for his faithfulness, contrasting worldly corruption.
“Man who hated the sword Yet wielded the sword and axe— Farewell, O arm of the Lord, The Lord’s own harvest mowing— With a wind in the smoking flax Where our foul rivers are flowing!”
A man who abhorred violence yet used weapons—farewell, you who were God's instrument, reaping the Lord's harvest, like a breeze through smoldering wick where our polluted rivers run.
Highlights the paradox of Gordon's pacifist nature forced to fight, and his role as a divine agent.
“In war thou didst cherish peace, Thou slewest for love of life: Hail, hail thy stormy release Go home and await thy sowing, The patient flower of thy strife, Thy bread on the Nile cast flowing.”
In conflict you valued peace, you killed out of love for life: Welcome your tumultuous liberation; return home and wait for the harvest, the enduring bloom of your struggle, your offering cast upon the Nile.
Reframes Gordon's violent death as a peaceful release and a seed for future growth.