I Saw a Man This Morning’: The WWI Poem That Redefines The Iliad

"I Saw a Man This Morning" is more than just a poem; it’s a profound reflection on war, mortality, and the enduring power of the Western canon. Written by WWI soldier and poet Patrick Shaw-Stewart, this haunting piece draws a poignant parallel between the trench warfare of the 20th century and the heroism of Homer’s Achilles. In this episode, we explore the depth of Shaw-Stewart’s poem, its historical context, and its connection to The Iliad.

Join me as I read and analyze the poem, uncovering its layered meanings and how it captures the senseless tragedy of WWI. We’ll delve into the life of Shaw-Stewart, a classically trained British soldier who fought in the brutal Gallipoli campaign, and the timeless themes he draws from Achilles’ flame-capped shout in Homer’s epic. I’ll also read a passage from my modern English verse translation of The Iliad, bringing to life the moment Achilles returns to battle to inspire his troops.

By the end of this episode, you’ll not only gain a deeper appreciation for this lesser-known WWI poem but also see how the study of the Western literary canon continues to offer profound insights into human history and experience.

Key Topics:

• Patrick Shaw-Stewart’s life and literary education
• The historical backdrop of WWI and the Gallipoli campaign
• The influence of The Iliad on Shaw-Stewart’s poetry
• A reading and analysis of “I Saw a Man This Morning”
• A modern verse translation of Achilles’ return to battle in Book 18 of The Iliad

Whether you're a lover of poetry, a student of history, or a fan of the classics, this episode invites you to reflect on the enduring power of literature in shaping how we understand the past—and ourselves. Tune in now and let’s journey from the trenches of WWI to the fields of ancient Troy.

Transcript

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:05:15
Unknown
So there's a poem written in 1915 by a World War one.

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Soldier, a British soldier that harkens back to thousands of years of warfare. And this is one of my favorite poems. It's a poem that illustrates many values. And,

00:00:21:11 - 00:00:41:24
Unknown
it's a harrowing, emotional poem. And it's quite short. And one of the things that I really love about this poem is also how it shows the value of a liberal education and education in the canonical works of literature, from Homer, all the way down to modern era.

00:00:41:27 - 00:00:53:01
Unknown
And so what I want to do with you today, just to show some of this, I hope you'll get a little bit of this experience of the power of studying the liberal arts, studying,

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the, the Homeric and the literary canon afterwards, and how that is not just a checkbox on your life that that you could say I did that.

00:01:03:16 - 00:01:36:04
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Although that's one thing you can do if you read the canonical works of Western literature. But what it really provides is a connection of values to all these great and independent and individuals and bad thinkers and good thinkers, all kinds of people for thousands of years. And in our society today, we are tending to more and more, lose connection to this, a connection does not mean you agree or believe in everything that they believed or anything, but it's just an understanding of who built the world.

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We live it. So let's go. What I want to do today, if you've ever done a troubadour,

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podcast, poetry listening, you'll know this. I want to read the poem, and I want you to understand that you're not going to understand a lot of it. The words you'll understand. You know, it's in English. It's in a modern English.

00:01:55:17 - 00:02:29:22
Unknown
So it's not like it's a lot of Thee’s and thous. You'll understand the basic idea, but there's going to be something you're probably missing, and there's stuff that you'll be not quite sure of. And then I'm going to give you some of the context. And I hope this context will be interesting and helpful. And I think it will also bring out a lot of the understanding of the poem and, you know, and help you to see the power of poetry in general and the power of reading the canonical works.

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Unknown
So this is a poem called I saw a man This morning by the British soldier Patrick Shaw Stewart. So I'm just going to read it. Just listen, don't worry about the words too much. I saw a man this morning who did not wish to die. I ask and cannot answer. If otherwise, was I fair broke the day this morning against the Dardanelles.

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The breeze blew soft. The morning's cheeks were cold as cold sea shells, but other shells are waiting across the Aegean Sea. Shrapnel and high explosive shells and hells for me. Oh, hell of ships and cities. Hell of men like me. Fatal. Second, Helen, why must I follow thee? Achilles came to Troy land. And I to chersonese

00:03:29:14 - 00:03:56:25
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He turned from wrath to battle. And I from three days peace. Was it so hard, Achilles? So very hard to die? Thou knowest, and I know not so much the happier I. I will go back this morning from imbros Over the sea. Stand in the trench, Achilles flame capped, and shout for me.

00:03:56:25 - 00:04:15:10
Unknown
I always kind of get chills when I hear that. Now, if you don't get chills, maybe it's because you have it read the Iliad and you don't know what's actually being referred to. So this is a person has read the Iliad. This is at a time when classical education was in always included the reading of the classics, which we don't do anymore.

00:04:15:12 - 00:04:26:08
Unknown
Many of you may not have read the classics, and this isn't your fault. This is the fault of a poor education. We have a really bad education system in the world today. I got one a bad education as well.

00:04:26:10 - 00:04:47:17
Unknown
So the next thing I want to do is I actually want to read an excerpt of a translation that I did, in iambic pentameter. But modern English verse of the Iliad, not the whole Iliad, of course, but a section. Now this section is going to be longer than what I just read. So sit back and listen. I hope you enjoy the reading, but I want to give you some context.

00:04:47:17 - 00:05:12:26
Unknown
So this is book 18 of the Iliad. So that's chapter 18. It's out of 24. So it's towards the end and there's a couple of important things you need to understand about the story of the Iliad. And I'll just give them out real quickly. So Achilles is the greatest warrior of the Greeks. He has abandoned the Greeks because he was slighted by the leader of the Greek army, the Agamemnon, who took his who took Achilles,

00:05:12:26 - 00:05:16:08
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prize of glory and honor that he was give it to him.

00:05:16:08 - 00:05:23:15
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But because of Achilles conquering cities and Agamemnon just kind of willy nilly takes this person,

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from Achilles. And Achilles says, I'm not fighting anymore. So the Greeks start really losing this war without Achilles. And then, at one point, it gets so bad for the Greeks that the

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Trojan hero,

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Hector is almost going to make it to the Greek ships.

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You know, they're on the. This is,

00:05:42:04 - 00:05:50:03
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in Troy. So this is, basically around the Aegean Sea, the Mediterranean. That's where the Dardanelles are. And,

00:05:50:03 - 00:05:52:22
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you know, modern day. And what's,

00:05:52:22 - 00:06:02:16
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what starts happening is this Greek expeditionary force that went to go fight in Indus and conquer Troy, is now being threatened by the Trojans to have all their ships burned.

00:06:02:16 - 00:06:32:29
Unknown
And then they will all very likely die. So this is a big threat. So Achilles sends his best friend, a person that he really cares about, who grew up with there is a little Patroklos is the name and he's a little older. He's he gives Patroklos his army, his armor and says, go out and make sure that the Trojans do not make it to the ships and push them back, but don't go all the way to Troy because then you, you know, bad things will happen.

00:06:32:29 - 00:06:46:21
Unknown
That's not for you to do. So Patroclus does a good job. He kills some Trojans, he pushes the Trojans back, but he doesn't listen to Achilles. He goes all the way to Troy, and then he. Patroklos is killed by Hector.

00:06:46:21 - 00:06:52:05
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There's fighting over the the armor of that's on Patrick list, which is Achilles armor.

00:06:52:05 - 00:06:57:27
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and then Achilles hears about this by some gods basically.

00:06:57:29 - 00:07:16:14
Unknown
And he's distraught and wants to go do something but is unable to. And that's the passage I'm going to read to you. He's unable to because he's naked by armor. But then something happens, and I want you to listen to this, and hopefully you'll get it. And then we'll, you know, this will bring it back to the Shaw

00:07:16:15 - 00:07:17:22
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Poem.

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here's a reading a book 18 of the Iliad.

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The well-armed Greeks could not protect the fallen and would have lost the body of Patroclus, the noble servant and best friend of Achilles. For Hector, like a burning flame. And war had reached him first, and tried to drag him off, grasping with strength and shouting to the Trojans.

00:07:39:29 - 00:08:09:04
Unknown
But mighty Ajax lunged to push him back again. Again they struck at him with force, and though bold Hector thrusted trusty in his strength at times, he charged into the heated fight. At times he roared and stood his ground. But still, despite their strikes, he would not back away. As shepherds cannot scare a starving lion from claiming prey nor stop it as it feeds.

00:08:09:09 - 00:08:35:03
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So Hector, son of Priam, could not be driven away from Patroklos lifeless form. He would surely have dragged off the body and claimed glory if swift footed. Iris had not, without the knowledge of Zeus of the gods, come flying down to Achilles from Olympus, sent us a message from the queen fierce Hera. Iris stood beside Achilles and spoke fast.

00:08:35:06 - 00:08:56:26
Unknown
Rise up, Achilles, greatest of all men. Go save Patroclus, for because of him this dreadful battle rages by the ships. The Greeks and Trojans kill each other. They're both fighting over Patroclus dead form. The Trojans hope to drag him back to Troy, but Hector wants to cut his head and stick it on the spike of sharp and deadly spears.

00:08:56:29 - 00:09:19:28
Unknown
Oh, rise! Do not just lie here. Feel the shame that if you do, the dogs could tear his flesh and leave your friend disgraced. Defile and death. Achilles answered back with heavy heart. How could I charge into the battle now when all my arm is still within their camp? My mother said that she would bring me gear, but only when she's standing by my side.

00:09:19:28 - 00:09:42:22
Unknown
She promised Hephaestus, Lord of fire, would make me bright and shining armor soon. I do not know of any gear to wear except Ajax, but he needs it now, for he is near the front lines, fighting hard and standing guard beside his body. But swift winged Iris answered him again. We know that you have lost your shining gear, but go without it.

00:09:42:22 - 00:09:58:10
Unknown
Stand beside the trench and show yourself to Troy. They'll run in fear when they see you. And that's what give the Greeks a moment to restart their breathing hopes. For though the Greeks are weary, they will find a little break in this relentless fight.

00:09:58:11 - 00:10:25:11
Unknown
When Iris finished, she returned to heaven, but Zeus's friend Achilles stood in place. Then mighty Athena, goddess of wisdom, shrouded Achilles shoulders in a cloud and crowned his head with golden streaming light. And from that light a glowing fire rose up just like the smoke that rises from a town beside the sea, besieged by a war and flames.

00:10:25:11 - 00:10:53:11
Unknown
When all day long the townsfolk fight that foe. But light their torches high into the sky. So distant neighbors can come to their aid. So from Achilles his head the flames went high. Achilles walked toward the trench and stood, but did not join the battle with the Greeks. He honored his dear mother's wise command, and standing there he gave a mighty shout.

00:10:53:14 - 00:11:27:00
Unknown
Beside him stood Athena, loud as ever. He her cry stirred terror in the Trojan ranks just like a trumpet strong and mighty blast that rings around a city under siege. So loud and clear. Achilles great voice rose. And when the Trojans heard his bronze filled cry, their hearts were shaken. Filled with sudden fear. Their beautiful maned horses spun around for knowing deep inside that pains awaited.

00:11:27:03 - 00:11:40:07
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The drivers froze when they saw endless fire blazed forth above the head of mighty Peleus son. The flames that glowed were set by bright eyed Athena.

00:11:40:09 - 00:11:55:26
Unknown
Now, just a little biography of Patrick Shaw. Actually, not even a biography. Just a little context of, Patrick Shaw Stewart, who is, again, like many people in his era, classically trained. So he'd read the Iliad, you'd read the classics, and,

00:11:55:26 - 00:12:03:21
Unknown
he was a bit of a poet himself. And he is, as he says in the poem, he is,

00:12:03:21 - 00:12:04:23
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on leave.

00:12:04:23 - 00:12:14:12
Unknown
So he's taking R&R, an embrace across the sea. And this is the Aegean Sea. The same sea that,

00:12:14:12 - 00:12:21:18
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Achilles would have crossed to get to Troy. So this is he's in the same historical place which was owned by the

00:12:21:18 - 00:12:27:02
Unknown
which was ruled by the Ottoman Empire at the time of World War one. But it's the same location.

00:12:27:04 - 00:12:33:16
Unknown
And he makes some remarks about the, you know, the senselessness of it, which is to him. He says,

00:12:33:16 - 00:12:43:19
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fatal. Second, Helen, why must I follow thee? Helen is to Saul and to Achilles in the story a,

00:12:43:19 - 00:12:53:11
Unknown
a non reason for fighting in a sense. Like, why am I fighting for this other person? Achilles famously says the Trojans never did nothing to me.

00:12:53:15 - 00:13:07:08
Unknown
Why am I fighting them? They never attacked my towns. They never took anything from me. In fact, it took Agamemnon who took from me, not the Trojans. So why am I fighting them for this Helen person? That's Helen's not even my wife. It's. It's,

00:13:07:08 - 00:13:12:19
Unknown
Menelaus is another Greek king's wife. Why am I here? That's the same thing that Shaw is saying.

00:13:12:19 - 00:13:26:14
Unknown
Like, you know, especially with World War one, which was probably one of the most senseless wars in all of history. And, you know, why is he there? He doesn't know. And he says, Achilles came to Troy line. I'd chosen. He's is the same general area.

00:13:26:14 - 00:13:40:27
Unknown
And then he says in the poem, was it so hard, Achilles, so very hard to die, you know, thou knowest. And I know not so much the happier I, I find that to be very profound. And it's,

00:13:40:27 - 00:13:54:19
Unknown
also a key to understanding the Iliad itself, but also something about life that we're learning. So Achilles, unlike any other Greek warrior or any other, soldier in history, knew his fate.

00:13:54:21 - 00:14:24:05
Unknown
This is an important part of the Iliad. Achilles is told by his mother, a goddess, Thetis, that if he stays in Troy and fights in Troy, he will die. But his glory, his honor, the glory of his name, will live forever. But if he goes home, he will live a long, beautiful, wonderful life. Have a family and a wife and wonderful things.

00:14:24:08 - 00:14:50:04
Unknown
But he'll die unknown, and no one will ever speak his name again. He knows that Patrick Shar Stuart does not know if he's going to live or die. That is the normal state of warriors, of soldiers. They don't know if a bullet's going to come and get them. They have no clue, of course, but Achilles does. And, in that ignorance, he's saying that he's able to have more happiness.

00:14:50:04 - 00:15:08:05
Unknown
He empathizes with Achilles in this morning. And then he says, I will go back this morning from Ambrose over the sea stand. And then he says, stand in the trench, Achilles. And, you know, there's the famous trenches of World War One. Well, they had a famous trench in the Iliad, too. And so he's saying, stand in the trench.

00:15:08:05 - 00:15:26:13
Unknown
Achilles flamed, capped and shout for me. Now the passage of the Iliad. I just read to you the reason I wanted to read that to you, because I wanted you to get a sense of what? This, you know, the real ness of this war and what it might have felt like if that were to actually happen in a war.

00:15:26:15 - 00:15:31:10
Unknown
So you're going to this place where you may die with lots of casualties.

00:15:31:10 - 00:15:42:02
Unknown
So the total casualties on the Allied side is, I think, around 250,000 people. This is a brutal campaign. And, you know,

00:15:42:02 - 00:15:57:11
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and killed around 46,000. So there's. This is a dangerous campaign. And if you imagine you know, you hear this a lot with Christians where they have their crosses and they have, you know, they have their like champion.

00:15:57:11 - 00:16:13:16
Unknown
And I want their I want me to I want a champion. I want someone to champion me so that I can survive through this trial. That's what this basically is. Stand the stand in the trench, Achilles flame capped and shout for me. And it's what Achilles does for the Greek soldiers.

00:16:13:16 - 00:16:35:19
Unknown
So the Greek soldiers are being beaten by the Trojans at this moment in the Iliad. And then you have this, the greatest hero who's been, absent from the story up until from the battle up until now runs out basically naked, with flames coming out of his head, the flame, the same flames that you would see above it,

00:16:35:19 - 00:16:37:07
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at conquered city.

00:16:37:09 - 00:16:59:20
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And he shouts and everyone freaks out. The Trojans horses are terrified. They turn around, the drivers of the chariots flee. Everyone flees, and so it gives a break. It gives a respite. It allows the Trojan. Are the Greeks to live another day, to fight. That's, I think, what Sha is having here. Or wanting.

00:16:59:20 - 00:17:14:19
Unknown
Okay, so now I'm going to read the poem one more time and this is what we'll where we will wrap up. I'm just going to read the poem one more time. And now knowing what you know, see if it impacts you more.

00:17:14:19 - 00:17:52:10
Unknown
I saw a man this morning who did not wish to die. I ask and cannot answer if I otherwise wish. I fair broke the day this morning against the Dardanelles. The breeze blew soft. The morning's cheeks were cold as cold sea shells. But other shells are waiting across the Aegean Sea. Shrapnel and high explosive shells and hell's for me a hell of ships and cities.

00:17:52:13 - 00:17:58:07
Unknown
Hell of men like me. Fatal. Second, Helen, why must I follow? The

00:17:58:07 - 00:18:23:06
Unknown
Achilles came to Troy land. And I to choose and ease. He turned from wrath to battle. And I from three days peace. Was it so hard, Achilles? So very hard to die. Thou knowest. And I know not so much the happier I.

00:18:23:08 - 00:18:34:18
Unknown
I will go back this morning from embrace over the sea. Stand in the trench. Achilles flame capped, and shout for me.

00:18:34:18 - 00:19:02:26
Unknown
So that is the poem I saw a man this morning by Patrick Sean Stewart. Now, I wanted to reserve this for the end because when I heard this, it had an even bigger impact on me. And that is that when Patrick Shaw Stewart returned to battle, he died. He died at the Battle of Gallipoli. After just after writing this poem.

00:19:02:28 - 00:19:37:03
Unknown
I think that's one of the reasons why the poem has become famous. But I think also it's a wonderful poem that, on its own merits is great, but part of infused into it is the spirit of what this educated, classically trained poet who chose and who went to war after he got educated and he, you know, fought all these battles and he goes off and he's worried about dying the next day, and he asks for his champion and his champion, you know, unfortunately does not work for him.

00:19:37:05 - 00:19:56:27
Unknown
And I think whenever I see this poem, I think I saw a man this morning who did not wish to die. I ask and cannot answer if otherwise wish I. I always think of that as such a multi-tiered thing that he saw a man, maybe an ally, who was going to go back to war with him the next day, who did not wish to die.

00:19:57:03 - 00:20:16:25
Unknown
But I also see Shaw looking in the mirror there. I saw a man this morning who did not wish to die. This is a man who doesn't want to die. And he's dealing with this, this war that he doesn't understand. He's dealing with a war that doesn't make sense. To read up a little bit on the the World War one.

00:20:16:25 - 00:20:35:25
Unknown
It just it's one of those wars like World War two makes a lot of sense. There's a it's senseless in a in a sense. But there's real reasons as you know, it's like battling over this person and that person in this territory. Like it just doesn't. Why why do they fight this one? It doesn't make sense. And and it's brutal and bloody in it.

00:20:35:25 - 00:20:38:19
Unknown
And it's a challenge to, you know, the, the,

00:20:38:19 - 00:20:53:08
Unknown
a lot of theories of romanticism that they had over the years. And, you know, so he's putting in these terms, he's trying to deal with it. He's trying to deal with the reality of it. And he comes up with this poem that he just he doesn't even label. That's why it's called he doesn't Title it.

00:20:53:08 - 00:21:14:02
Unknown
I saw a man this morning. So it's just one of those poems he just wrote down in his, in his diary or something, and he relates his experience to the experience of Achilles, the greatest warrior in the history and the greatest warrior in the Trojan War. And of course, we do know that Achilles does die in the Trojan War, just like Shaw will die, unfortunately.

00:21:14:05 - 00:21:30:16
Unknown
So that is this poem. I hope that you read through it a couple of times. You enjoy it, and I hope it, you know, makes you want to read the Iliad and and the literary canon. So go on over to troubadour Dot studio, troubadour Dot studio.

00:21:30:18 - 00:21:57:08
Unknown
And you can sign up and you can learn more about the classics. You can learn more about these kinds of poems. You can get these, a modern translation of Julius Caesar and other things that I'm putting together. And to make this more accessible to you, that's my goal. So go over there, troubadour Dot studio, check it out, and hopefully you enjoy this reading and exploration of I saw a man This Morning by Patrick Shaw Stewart.