St Ignatius College - Ignatian Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

Page 15 text:

THE GLAMOUR OF WAR 15 But be it always remembered that within the narrow lim- its of this paper we cannot touch upon the hundreds of smaller works. Nay, more, lest we exceed the limits as- signed us, we shall delay no longer on the masterpieces of other languages, but shall come to those of our own tongue. Were we to look for war literature of excelling worth in the English tongue, we should have no difficulty in finding it. Shakespeare revels in the clash of arms. But for the sake of sublimity let us choose Milton. His gloriiication of war and of a war hero, though it is hardly Christian, is yet unique. Let us fly with Milton on the wings of imagination through boundless space to the battlements of Heaven, to the realms of eternal peace and harmony. On this day the grand monotony of Heaven is disturbed. By imperial com- mand angelic hosts from all the ends of heaven assemble innumerably before the throne of God. He himself gives forth a decree: Here is my Son, Who in ages yet to come will assume a lowly form. Him I appoint as your head. Let every knee in Heaven bow to Himf' Satan quickly moves among his friends and says: Shall we leave aside all noble deeds to cringe before the Messiah's throne and hymn His everlasting praise? We are princes, not slaves. We are unused to the yoke. Yet soon we shall be forced to draw with servile strength His chariot through the star-paved road of Heaven. With the battle-cry, We are not slaves, one-third of the countless hosts rebel. All day long the noise of battle rolled. At last the Messiah armed with ten thou- sand thunders rides forth in His chariot of power. Right on He drives through the rebel ranks trampling them into one indiscriminate flock. Underneath their feet the founda- tions of Heaven open wide disclosing a spacious gap into the dark abyss. Headlong they fling themselves down, eternal wrath burning after them, and driving them down, down through chaos, down to the place prepared for them.

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14 THE IGNATIAN When in the sixth book Virgil describes the noble achieve- ments of famous Romans, he selects almost exclusively, the achievements of battle, the Gracchi are set before us, and the Scipios, those thunderbolts of war. In fact, the gentle Virgil seems to prefer battle to the fine arts. He is willing that Rome should yield in every- thing except in prowess. Let others better mold the running mass Of metal, and inform the breathing brass, And soften into flesh a marble faceg Plead better at the barg describe the skies, Tell when the stars descend and when they rise. But, Rome, be it thine alone with awful sway To rule mankind and make the world obey! Enough of Virgil. Other Latin masterpieces have the same theme. The greatest speech of Cicero, Pro Lege Manilia, is a war speech. The annals of Tacitus are annals of war. Pliny is a war correspondent. Caesar's commen- taries are war notes of a skilled general. A Coming down the centuries we find the same ,glorification of war in the world's literature. Dante, it is true, is not a war poet in the strict sense of the word, but he had in view a war that is far more prevalent and far more im- portant than the conflict of nations. He describes with elo- quence the war of the soul against the triple alliance, the world, the flesh and the devil. In his Inferno he describes the condition of the prisoners of warg in his Purgatorio he tells of those who were wounded in the battle, but not unto deathg and in his Paradiso he depicts the glories of those who triumph over the enemies. Tasso was not satisfied with this mystic warfareg his genius led him to seek a theme that had to do with the grim reality and he found it in the Crusades. Jerusalem Deliv- ered is a glorification of a war that is worthy of the heroes, who led the soldiers of the Cross to victory. A ,-,,,,,.,,,,..f M

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16 THE IGNATIAN Satan rolling on a fiery gulf recovers from his stupor, confounded though immortal. With head uplifted above the wave and eyes that sparkling shine, he views the dismal situation waste and wild: a dungeon horrible, on all Sides round as one great furnace fiamesg yet from those flames no light, but rather a visible darkness serves only to dis- cover sights of woe, regions of sorrow, doleful shades, where peace and rest and hope can never dwell. How unlike the place from whence he fell! Then with expanded wings he steers his Hight, incumbent on the dusky air, till he rests on the dry land that burns with solid fire. He muses: Is this the place that we must change for Heaven? This mournful gloom for that celestial light? Farewell, happy fields, where joy forever dwells! Hail, horrors! Hail, infemal world! Receive thy new possessor, one who brings a mind not to be changed by time or place, a mind that can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven. On the beach of that iiaming sea he stands and calls his legions, angel forms, who lie there dazed, thick as auturnnal leaves that strew the brooks. In spite of fierce pains the stunned angels rolling in the flood with scattered arms and ensigns obey their general's voice. In double rank they stand about him trusting even yet in his courage. He above the rest in shape and gesture, proudly eminent stands like a tower. Deep scars of thunder have intrenched his face. Care sits on his faded cheek, but under brows of dauntless courage. His unutterable agony is subdued by the energy of his soul. His will triumphs over the most terrible ele- ments of nature. His courage is made visible by the racking pains which itoverpowers. The all-enduring, all-defying courage of Satan inspires his legions with confidence. Hell yields to the spirit which it imprisons. By his strategy the gates of hell are openedg the war against heaven is renewed: the work of the Creator is undone on earth, and the happi- ness of the human race is blasted.