Still Falls The Rain= Sadness

Still Falls the Rain was a very harrowing poem in my mind. As it refers to the horrors and pain of WWII in its subject matter, its symbolism and biblical allusions only highlight the sorrows of war. Edith Sitwell chose some of the more graven images of the Bible, to group together with the dark times of the period. I guess a Ruth-Boaz love affair or Abraham's son being born allusion wouldn't be appropriate when bombs are destroying the country. In my reading and analysis of it I found myself trying to go through the many biblical references and attempt to tie it within the events of the blitzkrieg of England at the time.

Right off the bat, the metaphor of water as rain differs from its original purpose. I know rain is depressing, as evidenced in Delaware where it rains all the time, but it does provide sustenance for plants and makes the ol' grass green. However, Sitwell refers to it as 'Dark as the world of man, black as our loss.' Ouch. Talk about morbid. When looking at it throughout the poem as a repetitive phrase it reminds us of sin and it continues to fall throughout each of the biblical allusion she refers to.



Many biblical allusions are referenced throughout the poem. My church background definitely came in handy when reading it or else I would have had no clue. The cross and crucifixion account remains the most dominant one among them. The Potter's field which Judas bought after betraying Jesus is referred to as the field of blood. Jesus crucifixion and hanging on the cross reminds us of a painful sacrifice for all people but it seems within the context of the war and fighting the death seems almost in vain. .



Dives and Lazarus are two juxtaposing lives within Jesus' parable. One being a rich man who lived lavishly but burns in hell after not truly knowing God, and Lazarus who lived a sinful earthly life but sits in Heaven later on. In both accounts, Sitwell asks for mercy. Greed is the main sin of Cain who had avarice in his heart and withheld his sacrifice to God and killed his brother in jealousy. When trying to tie that in with the life of war, people are fighting with greed, jealousy, and many of the deadly sins in their hearts.



Sitwell ends on a hopeful note as she continues with the crucifixion imagery, although she loses me a bit with what seems is an Old English jump. “Still do I love, still shed my innocent light, my Blood, for thee.” Though the rain [reign]of sin is still destroying Europe with the war, Sitwell has Christ recites these lines of hope. I found it paralleling the lives being lost within the darkness of war. As Jesus came to serve sinners, so lives are being used in the service of war and defense of one's country. Reminds me of this awesome meme. Don't mess with JC