This poem, broadly, is an attempt to describe what makes a person
"truly" great. The poem was written in the 1930's during wartime, this
no doubt influenced the poet. However, soldiers are not the only people
he is referring to. He is essentially referring to anyone who selflessly
fights for what they believe in.
The following is the first stanza of the poem " I Think Continually of Those Who Were Truly Great"
I think continually of those who were truly great.
Who, from the womb, remembered the soul’s history
Through corridors of light, where the hours are suns,
Endless and singing.
In the first stanza, the poet makes an important defining point in
the word "truly", it sets the theme for the rest of the poem which
expands upon this idea of truth showing what it is and how it effects the air
it touches. Another important word here is "continually", in my mind
something cannot be thought of continually without some form of prompting: this
prompting is his musing or concern over the men in the war.
In the next few lines he defines artistically a characteristic he believes to
be endowed in men of true greatness, that of passion. He says that even before
birth these men are filled with passion and love ("soul's history"),
where they enjoy every moment in and "endless" indulgence in passion
and enjoyment ("singing"). In comparing them to a child in the
"womb", he endows these men or woman with a child's willingness to
participate or enjoy things: old and new.
