This is the Dark Time, My Love
by Martin Carter
This is the dark time, my love,
All round the land brown beetles crawl about.
The shining sun is hidden in the sky.
Red flowers bend their heads in awful sorrow.
This is the dark time , my love.
It is the season of oppression, dark metal and tears.
It is the festival of guns, the carnival of misery.
Every where the faces of men are strained and anxious.
Who comes walking in the dark night time?
Whose boot of steel tramps down the slender grass?
It is the man of death, my love, the strange invader
Watching you sleep and aiming at your dream
Activity
What is the poem about?
Who is the speaker in the poem?
Identify all literary devices in the poem and comment on their effectiveness and use in the poem.
Identify the theme of the poem
Identify any important words or phrases in the poem and comment on their meaning
What is the mood of the poem?
What is the tone of the poem?
SUMMARY
The persona speaks to someone that he cares for. He tells this person that this is the dark time, which is, in essence, a time of sadness. It is implied, by certain key terms; such as ‘dark metal’, that it is a time of war. The persona warns his ‘love’ that it is a dark, sad time.
LITERARY DEVICES
REPETITION
Stanza 1, line 1 & stanza 2, line 7: The repetition of this phrase highlights that there is something seriously amiss. The persona is telling his ‘love’ that this is a sad and terrible time.
PERSONIFICATION
This device emphasizes the sad tone of the poem. This is the case because flowers are usually associated with feelings of happiness and cheerfulness. Therefore, if the flowers – ambassadors of joy – are sad, then it highlights how really sad the times have become.
METAPHOR
Line 2, stanza 1: 'brown beetles crawl about' - The poet compares soldiers to brown beetles because of their uniform and how they may seem is you were to view them from afar or from above.
OXYMORON (for contrast)
The contrast in this device is startling. The terms ‘festival’ and ‘carnival’ not only describes fun and festivity, but also a large amount of each. Both words are associated with huge crowds. This emphasizes how terrible the times have become because guns and misery are plentiful.
RHETORICAL QUESTION
Stanza 3, line 9: This device informs the reader/ audience that a threat exists and that it comes in the dark of night.
Stanza 3, line 10: It is implied that the threat is a soldier through the term ‘boot of steel’. The ‘slender grass’ is the innocent youth who is cut down and trampled by these ‘boots of steel’. The fact that we are given this information through the use of rhetorical question adds mystery and intrigue to the poem.
IMPORTANT WORDS/ PHRASES
‘All round the land brown beetles crawl about.’
Some variety of brown beetles are scavengers that feed on decaying or dead carcasses. Therefore, when the persona states that they crawl about, it implies that a lot of dead or decaying bodies exist in the land.
‘season of oppression, dark metal, and tears.’
A season is an extended period of time. Therefore, the persona is telling his ‘love’ that it is a period of extreme sadness. This sadness is brought about by the ‘dark metal’, which can be literally interpreted as vehicles of war.
‘man of death’
The man of death, in this context, is the soldier.
‘Watching you sleep’
Sleep is a state of extreme vulnerability. This is the case because when one falls asleep, they fall into unconsciousness, which equates to a state of defenselessness. The fact that the man of death, ie. soldier, watches the persona’s ‘love’ while he/she sleeps, implies that this person is not only vulnerable, but in extreme danger.
‘aiming at your dream.’
The man of death’s purpose is to destroy the persona’s ‘love’s’ dreams, or desires.
MOOD/ ATMOSPHERE
The mood of the poem is a sad one. The persona is giving his ‘love’ sad and depressing news.
TONE
The tone of the poem is also a sad one.
THEMES
War
Oppression
Dreams
Aspirations