Is my voice loud enough, Lune?
Or, to squall as long as I can
Agonizing thoughts, filled my bosom
Searching for my soul in a callous milieu
Chanting thy name over and over
Scratching with the nail, all over the wall
Serviens hath a question; are you sane?
Anguished reply through tears, ‘not at all’
Is my voice loud enough, Lune?
Or, to quarrel around the walls of Zurich
Crumbled into pieces – I am
Try to stitch my bloody wound
Perhaps the time we burn – He and I
Spread the warmth all over the world
Can I compare it with the morning sunshine?
Awakes people from their sleep
Back story:
Richard Puller Von Hohenburg a French knight and his servant Anthony Matzler were burnt alive in the walls of Zurich as a punishment for sodomy in 15th century AD. This poem tries to bring out the state of mind these people had and their feelings in the darkest night of their life.
Meaning:
Lune – moon
Serviens – servants of the king
Explanation:
“Is my voice loud enough, Lune?
Or, to squall as long as I can”
The speaker is asking the moon that is voice can be heard from there or he have to make a loud cry to be heard.
“Agonizing thoughts, filled my bosom
Searching for my soul in callous milieu”
Since the companion is separated from the speaker he is in a state of agony and searching his better half in this cruel society.
“Chanting thy name over and over
Scratching with the nail, all over the wall”
Due to mental trauma the speaker keeps on saying the name of his separated lover and writing his name all over the wall with his nails.
“Serviens hath a question; are you sane?
Anguished reply through tears, ‘not at all’.”
Due to this unusual behaviour by the speaker, the prison guards asked the speaker whether he is ok. On this instance, tears welled in his eyes. So that no reply by words is necessary to express his feelings.
“Is my voice loud enough, Lune?
Or, to quarrel around the walls of Zurich”
Again the speaker is asking the moon that his voice is audible, or he has to quarrel in the streets of Zurich so that people in the country can understand his feelings.
“Crumbled into pieces – I am
Try to stitch my bloody wound”
The act of separation from his lover chopped the speaker, and his heart is broken into pieces. But by remembering the golden days he spent with him the speaker tries to comfort himself.
“Perhaps the time we burn – He and I
Spread the warmth all over the world
Can I compare it with the morning sunshine?
Awakes people from their sleep”
The poem now depicts the thoughts of the speaker while he is burnt alive. The speaker says that the heat produced by the fire will travel throughout the world and reach all the people. It can be said that the warmth is ‘awareness’ which spreads globally. He goes on comparing this awareness (warmth) with the morning sunshine as how it wakes people from their sleep; this awareness wakes people from their cruel mind.
This post has been submitted by Vishnu Vardhan.