What symbols are used in the poem “Asleep in the Valley”? / Discuss “Asleep in the Valley” as a symbolic poem.

Answer:   From the very title to the end of the poem, the poet Rimbaud has superbly included symbols in the poem “Asleep in the Valley” to rouse the sense of anti-war. The poet uses symbols while mentioning different colours, words to establish the contradiction between life and death. The poet uses colours like ‘green’, ‘silver’ etc. that symbolize ‘life’ and on the other hand, the use of ‘pale’ symbolizes death. Also, throughout the poem, the poet has included so many words and phrases in symbolic way like “lies open mouthed”, “asleep”, “at peace”, “the humming insects do not disturb his rest” only to establish the fact that the soldier is dead or casualty of war. Also at the very end of the poem, the poet uses symbolism—“There are two red holes” that indicates the death of the soldier. Besides, in the line “Ah, Nature, keep him warm; he may catch cold”, the poet uses the word ‘warm’ that symbolizes life and the word ‘cold’ that symbolizes death. So, in every sense, it is a perfect symbolic poem.