Tuesday, August 20, 2013

English Poem recitation : "A March In The Ranks Hard-Prest" by Walt Whitman

High school English poem recitation : Time for the search for many of us to find a good English poem for recitation.Its competition time again in schools. I am gathering some of the English poems for school recitation here for all of you. And this time its for high school english poem recitation as I am in 8th Standard...Time flies.

While searching for the English poem for recitation I came to know about "Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest" in America. This is a program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance. Langston Ward, the Washington State Poetry Out Loud Champion, was named the National Champion at the National Finals held in Washington, DC on April 30, 2013. Here is the poem "A March In The Ranks Hard-Prest" by Walt Whitman which won the 1st prize for Mr Ward in the finals.

A March In The Ranks Hard-Prest
by Walt Whitman

A march in the ranks hard-prest, and the road unknown,
A route through a heavy wood with muffled steps in the darkness,
Our army foil'd with loss severe, and the sullen remnant retreating,
Till after midnight glimmer upon us the lights of a dim-lighted building,
We come to an open space in the woods, and halt by the dim-lighted
building,
'Tis a large old church at the crossing roads, now an impromptu hospital,
Entering but for a minute I see a sight beyond all the pictures and
poems ever made,
Shadows of deepest, deepest black, just lit by moving candles and lamps,
And by one great pitchy torch stationary with wild red flame and
clouds of smoke,
By these, crowds, groups of forms vaguely I see on the floor, some
in the pews laid down,
At my feet more distinctly a soldier, a mere lad, in danger of
bleeding to death, (he is shot in the abdomen,)
I stanch the blood temporarily, (the youngster's face is white as a lily,)
Then before I depart I sweep my eyes o'er the scene fain to absorb it all,
Faces, varieties, postures beyond description, most in obscurity,
some of them dead,
Surgeons operating, attendants holding lights, the smell of ether,
odor of blood,
The crowd, O the crowd of the bloody forms, the yard outside also fill'd,
Some on the bare ground, some on planks or stretchers, some in the
death-spasm sweating,
An occasional scream or cry, the doctor's shouted orders or calls,
The glisten of the little steel instruments catching the glint of
the torches,
These I resume as I chant, I see again the forms, I smell the odor,
Then hear outside the orders given, Fall in, my men, fall in;
But first I bend to the dying lad, his eyes open, a half-smile gives he
me,
Then the eyes close, calmly close, and I speed forth to the darkness,
Resuming, marching, ever in darkness marching, on in the ranks,
The unknown road still marching.

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You can listen to a good recitation of this poem @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZYiJpfwzb0

About Poet : Walt Whitman (31 May 1819 - 26 March 1892 / New York / United States)
Walter "Walt" was an American poet, essayist and journalist. Born on Long Island, Whitman worked as a journalist, a teacher, a government clerk, and – in addition to publishing his poetry – was a volunteer nurse during the American Civil War.