"Song of the Ungirt Runners" by Charles Hamilton Sorley - Analysis
This poem was written by Charles Hamilton Sorley (1895-1915), a British poet. Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, Sorley’s family moved to Cambridge when he was five years old. There he attended King’s College choir school, and then won a scholarship to Marlborough College. He started studying there in 1908, when he was just thirteen. At this time, cross country running in the rain was his preferred pastime, an event referenced in several of his poems, such as The Song of the Ungirt Runners. An academically gifted individual, Sorley began publishing poetry in the school journal. As a result, he won a scholarship to University College, Oxford. His studies were interrupted, however, by World War I. He enlisted in the army, served in France, and was killed in the Battle of Loos. The Song of the Ungirt Runners was written during training.
I read this poem in an article from a running publication. This is a reliable source. The facts I read there were verified from several sources to ensure they were accurate.
I chose this poem because it contrasts nicely with John Masefield’s poem The Racer. While the latter is about purpose and focus, Sorley’s poem is about running for pure joy. Despite the stormy weather referenced and the ultimate fate of the runners, knowing that this poem was written during the war, the rhythm of the runners continues. It brings to mind the opening of Chariots of Fire, in a way that running appears as an act of nature, with no external motivation required.
The poetic form of The Song of the Ungirt Runners is three stanzas with eight lines in each, making it a twenty-four line piece. This is effective for this poem because it is short and concise, while still resonantly expressing Sorley’s emotions. The rhyming pattern is abab cdcd and continued like that, which is also simple.
Literary techniques that were used by Sorley help to make this poem effective. Firstly, a simile in the final stanza draws a comparison with the lines, “The winds arise and strike it / And scatter it like sand,” (lines 21-22). Repetition at the end of each stanza is also effective. In stanza one, Sorley wrote, “But we run because we must / Through the great wide air.” Stanza two finishes with, “So we run without a cause / ’Neath the big bare sky.” The poem ends with, “And we run because we like it / Through the broad bright land.” This similarity in the formation of the lines emphasizes Sorley’s message. Finally, personification can be found in lines 9-14. By speaking of trees that the feeling of warmth and coolness, and a storm that pauses thoughtfully, the setting of the poem is created, which is important in Sorley’s overall intent of running no matter what the circumstances. In conclusion, this poem reflects the joy of running freely, especially in a time when Sorley and his companions were training all day to another person’s commands. Also, the repetition of the word “we” shows a bond between the runners, a group camaraderie stronger and more basic that the military separation of ranks.
I read this poem in an article from a running publication. This is a reliable source. The facts I read there were verified from several sources to ensure they were accurate.
I chose this poem because it contrasts nicely with John Masefield’s poem The Racer. While the latter is about purpose and focus, Sorley’s poem is about running for pure joy. Despite the stormy weather referenced and the ultimate fate of the runners, knowing that this poem was written during the war, the rhythm of the runners continues. It brings to mind the opening of Chariots of Fire, in a way that running appears as an act of nature, with no external motivation required.
The poetic form of The Song of the Ungirt Runners is three stanzas with eight lines in each, making it a twenty-four line piece. This is effective for this poem because it is short and concise, while still resonantly expressing Sorley’s emotions. The rhyming pattern is abab cdcd and continued like that, which is also simple.
Literary techniques that were used by Sorley help to make this poem effective. Firstly, a simile in the final stanza draws a comparison with the lines, “The winds arise and strike it / And scatter it like sand,” (lines 21-22). Repetition at the end of each stanza is also effective. In stanza one, Sorley wrote, “But we run because we must / Through the great wide air.” Stanza two finishes with, “So we run without a cause / ’Neath the big bare sky.” The poem ends with, “And we run because we like it / Through the broad bright land.” This similarity in the formation of the lines emphasizes Sorley’s message. Finally, personification can be found in lines 9-14. By speaking of trees that the feeling of warmth and coolness, and a storm that pauses thoughtfully, the setting of the poem is created, which is important in Sorley’s overall intent of running no matter what the circumstances. In conclusion, this poem reflects the joy of running freely, especially in a time when Sorley and his companions were training all day to another person’s commands. Also, the repetition of the word “we” shows a bond between the runners, a group camaraderie stronger and more basic that the military separation of ranks.