I looked at the words on the screen. They captured my attention; they were strung in the form of a poem. I started reading them. The poem was dark and direct. It would fit into a heavy metal song well. At the end, I realized why it felt so. The poem ended with the words "For whom the bells tolls; It tolls for thee". 'For who the bell tolls' is the title of an early Metallica song and it is one of their best; not just the music but also the words. The poem as it was shown on the screen that morning, is reproduced below.
No man is an island, entire of itself;
Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less,
As well as if a promontory were,
As well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were:
Any man’s death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know
For whom the bells tolls;
It tolls for thee.
I remembered that 'For whom the bells tolls' is also the title of a story by Ernst Hemingway. I have not read it but I have heard people say good things about it. I thought that the peom was inspired by the story's title.
The speaker started speaking and mentioned that the poem was written by John Donne. I noted the name down in my notebook. This morning I searched for the poet and found a website that described the poem. As I read, I realized that the poet could not have been inspired by the title of Hemingway's story. He live 300 years prior to Hemingway. The website provided interesting background of the poem and a brief summary of the poet's life. I will not reproduce the same here. Instead here is a link to the website.
Metallica's song is inspired by Hemingway's story. Like many of their songs they talk about the futility of war and the ensuing pain. The first few albums of Metallica contain some of the best music ever made but unfortunately Metallica are popular or notrious for their later albums. Anyway, the world is not going to believe that people who are into rock music have any sense, so it does not matter. The lyrics of Metallica's song is also worth reproducing.
Make his fight, on the hill, in the early day
Constant chill deep inside
Shouting gun, on they run, through the endless grey
On they fight, for their right, yes, but who's to say?
For a hill, men would kill — Why? They do not know
Stiffened wounds test their pride
Men of five, still alive, through the raging glow
Gone insane from the pain that they surely know
For whom the bell tolls
Time marches on
For whom the bell tolls
Take a look to the sky just before you die
It's the last time you will
Blackened roar, massive roar, fills the crumbling sky
Shattered goal fills his soul with a ruthless cry
Stranger now are his eyes to this mystery
Hears the silence so loud
Crack of dawn, all is gone, except the will to be
Now they see what will be, blinded eyes to see
For whom the bell tolls
Time marches on
For whom the bell tolls
The words disappeared from the television screen. In its place, the phrase 'No signal' appeared. I watched this phrase move around the screen. The speaker was speaking without a pause and I found it difficult to follow her words. Instead I let the phrase 'no signal' create the following lines in my head.
I am receiving a 'no signal'.
Doesn't mean there are no signals around.
On the contrary, plenty surround me
A few relevant, others not.
Sifting through these is tough.
For the relevant ones,
Lay buried in irrelevance.
Like needles in a haystack.
Really small needles lying buried
In a large haystack.
I would love to possess the needles.
I can sew with them.
There is a lot to be sewn
And I have no needles with me.
I need some of those needles.
But the search is tough
And I am unwilling to try.
So, the needles stay where they are
And my life remains the same as before.
It's all okay
For I care for no signals.
