War's annals will cloud into night
Ere their story die.
These are the concluding lines of Thomas Hardy's poem "In time of "The Breaking of Nations"". Here the poet makes a contrast between human life and the hollow wars.
In this poem the poet celebrates the common human life with all its ordinary, unglamorous, petty but fundamental human activities. He brings the images of a peasant walking slowly, silently and with a tired body beside his tired horse. They are busy in breaking the clods over the ploughed field. He also offers a picture of a lover-couple in their natural action of merry making. This couple's talk in a low voice offers a striking contrast with the large destructive world of war. However, the history of the world will fade away but the love story of young couples will continue forever. The activity of procreation will protect the human race. Here Hardy shows his criticism of wars. Wars which are destructive, dehumanizing and diabolical will perish in touch of the human passion of procreation and love.
