Проектная работа "The Pain of War"

The Pain of War

INTRODUCTION

War destroys love and peace. It brings with it hatred and strife.

The aim of my work is to study the poem “Small Pain in My Chest” by Michael Mack.

The tasks are:

- to learn this poem; 

- to translate it into Russian;

- to find some information and to analyze the poem.

 The object is the poem “Small Pain in My Chest” 

The hypothesis -  a peaceful solution is the ideal way to end hatred, cruelty and to stop the destruction of people. War destroys love and peace.

The relevance of my project is condemnation against the war, inhumane killing of innocent soldiers. War does not bring any solution, it kills humans and humanity.

Michael Mack’s poem “Small Pain in My Chest” is an anti-war poem. He has been successful in delivering that message by depicting the pity of war through the innocent soldier boy’s death. This poem is based on the prolonged struggle of the Vietnam War between 1955 and 1975. 

Small Pain in My Chest

The soldier boy was sitting calmly underneath that tree.
As I approached it, I could see him beckoning to me.
The battle had been long and hard and lasted through the night
And scores of figures on the ground lay still by morning's light.

"I wonder if you'd help me, sir", he smiled as best he could.
"A sip of water on this morn would surely do me good.
We fought all day and fought all night with scarcely any rest -
A sip of water for I have a small pain in my chest."

As I looked at him, I could see the large stain on his shirt
All reddish-brown from his warm blood mixed in with Asian dirt.
"Not much", said he. "I count myself more lucky than the rest.
They're all gone while I just have a small pain in my chest."

"Must be fatigue", he weakly smiled. "I must be getting old.
I see the sun is shining bright and yet I'm feeling cold.
We climbed the hill, two hundred strong, but as we cleared the crest,
The night exploded and I felt this small pain in my chest."

"I looked around to get some aid - the only things I found
Were big, deep craters in the earth - bodies on the ground.
I kept on firing at them, sir. I tried to do my best,
But finally sat down with this small pain in my chest."

"I'm grateful, sir", he whispered, as I handed my canteen
And smiled a smile that was, I think, the brightest that I've seen.
"Seems silly that a man my size so full of vim and zest,
Could find himself defeated by a small pain in his chest."

"What would my wife be thinking of her man so strong and grown,
If she could see me sitting here, too weak to stand alone?
Could my mother have imagined, as she held me to her breast,
That I'd be sitting HERE one day with this pain in my chest?"

"Can it be getting dark so soon?" He winced up at the sun.
"It's growing dim and I thought that the day had just begun.
I think, before I travel on, I'll get a little rest ..........
And, quietly, the boy died from that small pain in his chest.

I don't recall what happened then. I think I must have cried;
I put my arms around him and I pulled him to my side
And, as I held him to me, I could feel our wounds were pressed
The large one in my heart against the small one in his chest.

ANALYSIS OF THE POEM

The title, beginning and ending of “Small Pain in My Chest” contain the anti-war elements. The pity of war is felt all over the poem. Throughout the poem the soldier boy has a conversation with the narrator. And that is the technique the poet uses to reveal the true self of a soldier boy. He has no enmity towards anyone. The boy doesn’t want to die so young. He has an affectionate mother and a caring wife like anyone else. He even counts himself luckier than the rest to have survived so long, as others have already died.

But the real pity is aroused when the soldier boy expresses his concern regarding what his mother and wife would think if they saw him in such helpless condition. It seems silly to him that war has made him sit there with the small pain in his chest. He really feels the futility and uselessness of war. And so feel we. The poet Michael Mack has deliberately and cleverly made us feel bad for the innocent soldier boy. That is how he wants to convey his anti-war message through his poem Small Pain in My Chest.

In the very last line the narrator says, “…the large one in my heart against the small one in his chest”. This is one of the most glorious lines I have ever read.  The narrator is greatly shocked on seeing the ill-effects of war. And he was so much overwhelmed that his pain seemed greater than the physical pain of the soldier boy. The poet couldn’t do better to indicate the destructive power of war.

Маленькая боль в моей груди 

(перевод выполнил Киктев Вячеслав)

Мальчишка под деревом тихо сидел

И вскоре увидел меня.

На поле лежало множество тел,

Всю ночь здесь гремела война.

«Сэр, помогите, нужна мне вода,

Сражались мы день и ночь»

В улыбке мальчишки была доброта,

Стремление боль превозмочь.

Рубашка солдата была вся в крови,

В грязи был мундир и рана.

 «Я чувствую боль небольшую в груди,

Собратья ушли очень рано…»

«Нас было двести, взошедших на холм,

Я видел солнце, но холод повеял

И  ночь наступила сразу за днём,

А боль надавила на тело.

 Я осмотрелся, чтоб помощь найти,

Но увидал лишь с телами воронки.

С тоскою по матери, с раной в груди

Согнулся от боли он колкой.

Паренёк улыбнулся при виде воды,

Счастливо смотрел  на флягу.

Проигрывал бой он той боли в груди.

И становился всё более слабым.

«Могла ль жена моя подумать,

Что получу ранение в бою,

Могла ли мамочка представить,

Что ЗДЕСЬ из жизни я уйду…»

«Чего ж все темнеет так? Я скоро умру.

Но мне еще надо идти

Я, пожалуй, сейчас чуть-чуть отдохну…

И умер солдат от той боли в груди.

Схватил и прижал его, не помню: кричал, пади

О гибели парня печальной

Большая в моем сердце и малая - в его груди

Болела общая рана.