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Poetry

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About this book

Two warriors face one another beside the Oxus, but their exchange turns on a name as much as on strength. In the passage featuring Sohrab and Rostam, the younger fighter hears Rostam's voice and eagerly asks who he is. Rostam weighs that appeal against his fear of losing honour before the chiefs of Iran. A moment of possible recognition becomes a contest of pride, uncertainty and competing hopes.

Matthew Arnold's verse gives this encounter room to unfold through speeches, private thoughts and descriptions of movement. Sohrab compares human fortunes to swimmers balanced on an unpredictable wave; a falling spear is likened to a hawk dropping towards its prey. The collection's notes also point to Greek legends, English landscapes and the story of Tristram and Iseult. Readers interested in narrative poetry can follow how Arnold joins the scale of heroic legend to the doubts and emotions of individual people.

About the author

Matthew Arnold

Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) was an English poet and cultural critic, one of the leading literary figures of the Victorian era. His poem 'Dover Beach' is among the most admired in the language.