Thomas became renowned in Britain among contemporary poets and critics for his modernist surrealist techniques; his “prowess for combining intellection with feeling” in his poetry. This particular poem achieves that lofty goal of combination through its distinctive and effectual words. Thomas uses metaphor and metonymy throughout this poem. He metonymically links kings and fingers to nations at war; the titular hand is linked to the convention at Versailles of Britain, France, Italy, Japan and the United States. Reviewing the first stanza, Thomas is able to distill a years-long war down to a single sentence using these techniques. Thomas uses a degree of repetition at the beginning of this poem by repeating its title. The title would seem to imply a disembodied hand, and so the first line has an almost comical tone. This is transformed immediately by the second line, which begins with a phrasing that shifts the meaning of “The Hand.” “Five sovereign fingers taxed the breath.” This modifies the understanding of the hand to something that has a political and authoritative power. Thomas’ use of the word “tax” is equally interesting, as tax (in this context) could mean either forcing economic burdens, or, (with a slightly more literal reading) making the physical act of breathing burdensome. The third line “Doubled the globe of dead and halved a country;” is morbid and striking with its cold, harsh tone. The imagistic juxtaposition of “globe of dead” (globe being, by definition, whole) and “halve of country” brings a heavy reality to the poem and is a reminder of its macabre subject. The final line in the first stanza finally aligns the poem within its historical context and figuratively presents the resolution of World War I as five kings murdering a sixth. With that defeat, discourse begins.
The second stanza follows the poem’s timeline as it moves through the culmination of battle towards post-war diplomacy. The hand is referenced again, emphasizing both its narrative and its connotation. The hand’s finger joints are described as being “cramped with chalk.” This positions the hand as being after it’s drafting of that signed paper. The image of the hand leading to a sloping shoulder and not simply touching, is also ripe with implication. It implies an ignorance of the consequent actions of the body of that shoulder. As if simply; only a slight attempt has been made at rectification. The stanza is closed by the phrase “A goose’s quill has put an end to murder / That put an end to talk.” There is a concept of war or death putting an end to dialogue present here. This phrase could be a reference to the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, or could be a reference to war ending the freedom of speech and being a result of the failure of diplomacy. Thomas’ use of the “goose’s quill” in his poem is an injection of aristocratic and bureaucratic imagery. During this time period, treaties would have most likely been signed using fountain pens, but the poetic treaty is still signed with a goose quill.
If the second stanza deals mainly with the drafting and introduction of “the paper.” than the third stanza describes the effects of the treaty; and its concern is of the consequences for that sloping shoulder. There is bitterness in this stanza as the treaty is considered to be a disaster in biblical terms. The fever, famine and locusts that are referenced are allusions to the Old Testament. This biblical allusion is reinforced in the final stanza, when Thomas speaks of a “hand rules heaven.” The fever and famine in the poem could be accurate words to describe the period of extremely high inflation that the German citizenry were burdened with after WWI and the restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. Locusts, as one of the Plagues of Egypt, are analogous to fear; and could easily be compared to the genesis and rapid, powerful growth of the Nazi party. Thomas reiterates the power of the hand with this final line in stanza three, “Great is the hand that holds dominion over / Man by a scribbled name.” Thomas is revealing that “his” hand works with anyone with authority. It is possible that a single signature could control millions of lives. This could refer to either the initiation of the conflict or the resolution. The final stanza pursues the history of the war. “The five kings count the dead.” This is Thomas equating the fact that it is the victors who end up writing history. “…but do not soften / The crusted wound nor pat the brow.” This charges the five kings with a further bitterness, as there is no sympathy shown toward the sixth king. This is further reinforced by the final line in the poem “Hands have no tears to flow.”
Dylan Thomas expresses youthful concerns with this poem. The poem could be considered unsubtle in its intentions, and is not nearly as distinctive as his later poetry. Using the “Hand” as a figurative extension for both men and the five nations that signed a treaty, which damned Germany to financial and social misery; Thomas has written a poem whose moral is clear: Lopsided diplomacy will always fail. To have five kings “doing” a king to death is a powerful metaphor for what happens when that lopsidedness prevails. The poem’s narrative through battle, diplomacy, aftereffect and chronicle serves to provide a linear temporality to the poem which in turn heightens the poem’s effect. To have a recognizable and relatable course of events helps to ground the work in a familiar reality. Thomas is offering a mirror in this poem which Britain and the United States in particular are invited to look into. It is prescient writing for 1933, and Dylan Thomas would have to have been “tuned in” to understand the consequence of history. The further capitulation by Britain to Germany after this poem was written would ignite a Second World War that had already been fueled by two decades of social and economic anxiety. Thomas traces that anxiety to five kings crippling a sixth.
An aspect of the poem that I feel I am not capable of doing justice with this particular essay is Thomas’ unique use of sound and rhyme. Thomas would become famous for his musicality, and his deft use of that talent in this particular poem elicits a surreal beauty. There are elements of alliteration present as well as a strange yet comfortable meter. It is comfortable in the sense that the rhythm of syllables is never jarring. What I sought to accomplish with this paper was, to provide a meaning and a foundation for the poem. It will have to be someone else’s responsibility to dissect every subtle sound and interpret the poem’s rolling rhythm.
Works Cited:
1. T.S. Eliot, “Tradition and the Individual Talent, The Sacred Wood,” 2nd edn (London: Methuen, 1928), p. 55.
2. Allen Ginsberg, Lewis Hyde On the Poetry of Allen Ginsberg (University of Michigan Press, 1984), p. 96
3. H. Wickham Steed, “The Future in Europe “ International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1931-1939), Vol. 12, No. 6 (Nov., 1933), pp. 744-762
4. Dylan Thomas, “Poetic Manifesto” The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry (2003 W. W. Norton & Company Inc.) Vol 2. p. 1062
5. T. S. Eliot, ‘The Metaphysical Poets’, Selected Essays, 2nd edn (London:Faber,1934), p. 288.
T. S. Eliot, “Tradition and the Individual Talent, The Sacred Wood,” 2nd edn (London: Methuen, 1928), p. 55.
Allen Ginsberg, Lewis Hyde On the Poetry of Allen Ginsberg (University of Michigan Press, 1984), p. 96
H. Wickham Steed, “The Future in Europe “ International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1931-1939), Vol. 12, No. 6 (Nov., 1933), pp. 744-762
Dylan Thomas, “Poetic Manifesto” The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry (2003 W. W. Norton & Company Inc.) Vol 2. p. 1062
T. S. Eliot, ‘The Metaphysical Poets’, Selected Essays, 2nd edn (London: Faber,1934), p. 288.
