Question
Illness and Death Sickness John Crowe Ransom (1888-1974)
The toughest carcass in the town
Fell sick at last and took to bed,
And on that bed God waited him
With cool, cool hands for his frantic head,
And while the fever did its dance
They talked, and a good thing was said:
“See, I am not that Scriptural!
A lesser, kinder God instead.”
Fever must run its course, and God
Could not do much for the countryman,
At least he saved him certain dreams:
“I die! O save me if you can,
I am a bruised, a beaten slave,
I march in a blistering caravan,
They dash a stone upon my head—
Ah no, but that is God’s white hand.”
God plucked him back, and plucked him back,
And did his best to smoothe the pain.
The sick man said it was good to know
That God was true, if prayer was vain.
“O God, I weary of this night,
When will you bring the dawn again?”
The night must run its course, but God
Was weary too with watching-strain.
A cluck of tuneless silly birds,
A guilty gray, and it was dawn.
The sick man thumped across the floor
And slid the curtain that was drawn:
“O pale wet dawn! O let it shine
Lustrous and gold on the good green lawn!
The lustre, Lord!” Alas, God knows
When sad conclusions are foregone.
The sick man leant upon his Lord,
On that imperfect break of day,
“Now, Lord, I die: is there no word,
No countervail that God can say?”
No word. But tight upon his arm,
Was God, and drew not once away
Until his punctual destiny.
To whom could God repair to pray?
Now God be thanked by dying men
Who comrades them in times like these,
Who dreads to see the doom come down
On these black midnight canopies
And on this poisonous glare of dawns,
The whole world crumples in disease,
But God is pitying to the end,
And gives an office to my knees.
John Singer Sargent, The Interior of a Hospital Tent, watercolor, c. 15.5” x 21”. Imperial War Museum.
In September 1918, John Singer Sargent was in France with British troops making sketches for his painting, Gassed—a heartbreaking image of young soldiers blinded by gassing. Sargent himself came down with influenza and was taken to a military hospital near Roisel. During the week he spent there next to others with the disease and the war wounded, he made this small watercolor which he later gave as a gift to the Imperial War Museum in London.
Verses from the Bible, English Standard Version
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Revelation 21:4 - He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
Romans 14:8 - For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 - And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
Luke 23:43 - And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
1. What does the phrase the fever did its dance mean in the poem?
And while the fever did its dance
They talked, and a good thing was said:
Group of answer choices
The fever was the least of the sick man's concerns.
The fever was marching to the beat of its own drum.
The fever affected the man as he expected it would.
The fever was not as severe as the sick man initially feared.
The toughest carcass in the town
Fell sick at last and took to bed,
And on that bed God waited him
With cool, cool hands for his frantic head,
And while the fever did its dance
They talked, and a good thing was said:
“See, I am not that Scriptural!
A lesser, kinder God instead.”
Fever must run its course, and God
Could not do much for the countryman,
At least he saved him certain dreams:
“I die! O save me if you can,
I am a bruised, a beaten slave,
I march in a blistering caravan,
They dash a stone upon my head—
Ah no, but that is God’s white hand.”
God plucked him back, and plucked him back,
And did his best to smoothe the pain.
The sick man said it was good to know
That God was true, if prayer was vain.
“O God, I weary of this night,
When will you bring the dawn again?”
The night must run its course, but God
Was weary too with watching-strain.
A cluck of tuneless silly birds,
A guilty gray, and it was dawn.
The sick man thumped across the floor
And slid the curtain that was drawn:
“O pale wet dawn! O let it shine
Lustrous and gold on the good green lawn!
The lustre, Lord!” Alas, God knows
When sad conclusions are foregone.
The sick man leant upon his Lord,
On that imperfect break of day,
“Now, Lord, I die: is there no word,
No countervail that God can say?”
No word. But tight upon his arm,
Was God, and drew not once away
Until his punctual destiny.
To whom could God repair to pray?
Now God be thanked by dying men
Who comrades them in times like these,
Who dreads to see the doom come down
On these black midnight canopies
And on this poisonous glare of dawns,
The whole world crumples in disease,
But God is pitying to the end,
And gives an office to my knees.
John Singer Sargent, The Interior of a Hospital Tent, watercolor, c. 15.5” x 21”. Imperial War Museum.
In September 1918, John Singer Sargent was in France with British troops making sketches for his painting, Gassed—a heartbreaking image of young soldiers blinded by gassing. Sargent himself came down with influenza and was taken to a military hospital near Roisel. During the week he spent there next to others with the disease and the war wounded, he made this small watercolor which he later gave as a gift to the Imperial War Museum in London.
Verses from the Bible, English Standard Version
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Revelation 21:4 - He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
Romans 14:8 - For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 - And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
Luke 23:43 - And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
1. What does the phrase the fever did its dance mean in the poem?
And while the fever did its dance
They talked, and a good thing was said:
Group of answer choices
The fever was the least of the sick man's concerns.
The fever was marching to the beat of its own drum.
The fever affected the man as he expected it would.
The fever was not as severe as the sick man initially feared.
Answers
Answered by
GPT-4o mini
In the context of the poem, the phrase "the fever did its dance" suggests that the fever was having a pronounced and uncontrollable effect on the sick man, representing the chaotic and disruptive nature of his illness. The metaphor of a "dance" conveys a sense of motion and intensity, implying that the fever was producing significant turmoil and distress within the sick man.
Among the given choices, the best interpretation would be:
**The fever affected the man as he expected it would.**
This aligns with the idea that the fever is doing something dynamic and impactful on the sick man, indicating a struggle or turmoil that the man is experiencing as a result of the illness.
Among the given choices, the best interpretation would be:
**The fever affected the man as he expected it would.**
This aligns with the idea that the fever is doing something dynamic and impactful on the sick man, indicating a struggle or turmoil that the man is experiencing as a result of the illness.
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