NON-AFRICAN POETRY
Discuss the major regrets of the slain soldier in “Strange Meeting”
Explanation
At their strange meeting, the soldier who has had the upper hand in the battle tells the “strange friend” that “here is no cause to mourn;” to which the slain soldier agrees. However, the victim regrets “the undone years”, the curtailed joys, hopes and aspirations.
The victim soldier pours out his regrets of the lost opportunity of experiencing love. Priding himself on being affable and a comfort to others by his cheerfulness, he regrets that he will not be able to make people laugh. But then, his sorrow lies buried with him as the truth about the gloomy side of war does not get told completely.
The slain soldier thinks it unfortunate that men will not learn front the bitter lessons that war teaches. Men, he laments, will continue to antagonize and fight each other continually.
The best aspiration of the strange friend has been to change the world through sheer honest labour and humane actions or deeds. Knowing that there is pain enough without the infliction of physical wounds, he would have aspired to assist in resolving matters without acrimony and “not on the cess … of war”. Man has the capacity to hurt his fellow man badly enough without fighting him in battle.
Yet regrettably, man selects armed confrontation with his fellow man. He drives this point home by declaring his identity as “the enemy you killed”, and resigning himself to his fate.
This is a young man who has had his whole life ahead of him. So, as men die for nothing, there is nothing to, it but to rest when once one has fallen: “Let us sleep now…”