The Duddon Sonnets - Notes to Sonnet XXIX

XXIX

          NO record tells of lance opposed to lance,

          Horse charging horse, 'mid these retired domains;

          Tells that their turf drank purple from the veins

          Of heroes, fallen, or struggling to advance,

          Till doubtful combat issued in a trance

          Of victory, that struck through heart and reins

          Even to the inmost seat of mortal pains,

          And lightened o'er the pallid countenance.

          Yet, to the loyal and the brave, who lie

          In the blank earth, neglected and forlorn,                  10

          The passing Winds memorial tribute pay;

          The Torrents chant their praise, inspiring scorn

          Of power usurped; with proclamation high,

          And glad acknowledgment, of lawful sway.

It’s a bit of a ‘pot-boiler’ this one – it makes a fairly facile point about Nature paying tribute to forgotten heroes – quite how, though, does this acknowledge ‘lawful sway’? One does sense that this sonnet indulges in rhetoric at the expense of meaning. Furthermore, phrases like ‘struck through heart and reins’ does seem driven by rhyme rather than reason.