Quote by Edwin Markham, The Man with the
Bowed by the weight of centuries he leansUpon his hoe and gazes on the ground,The emptiness of ages in his face,And on his back the burden of the world.Who made him dead to rapture and despair,A thing that grieves not and that never hopes,Stolid and stunned, a brother to the ox?Who loosened and let down this brutal jaw?Whose was the hand that slanted back this brow?Whose breath blew out the light within this brain?
Summary
This quote depicts a person who is burdened by the weight and emptiness of time. He is portrayed as a laborer, hunched over his work, with a face that carries the weariness and experiences of countless generations. The poem questions who is responsible for robbing him of his ability to experience joy and suffering, rendering him numb and devoid of hope. It raises further inquiries into the forces that have caused this individual to lose his humanity and become a mere instrument of work, and who or what extinguished the inner light of his thoughts.
Topics
Farming
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