Spender does not name or identify the truly greats of the past. Simply they are heroes, nameless and faceless and they are recalled in the present on account of their heroic deeds that have left lasting footprints on the sands of time and place all over the world. Some critics point out the absence of any heroic action of the present. But Spender pays his tributes solely for the past heroes who had contributed to and shaped the world that we live in today. He is not interested in criticizing the present for lack of heroism. The poem is one of grateful acknowledgement of their grand contributions that have made a difference to the world, making our heritage better than what they had inherited.
“This poem, broadly, is an attempt to describe what makes a person "truly" great. The poem was written in the 1930's during wartime, this no doubt influenced the poet. However, soldiers are not the only people he is referring to. He is essentially referring to anyone who selflessly fights for what they believe in.4/ The “Truly Great” can be poets, soldiers, selfless and passionate artists. What defines them is their actions, deeds, words, artistic and aesthetic creations that inspire generations that come after them. They have made a difference to the world and hence our thoughts in grateful acknowledgement of what they have bequeathed to the present generation.
The “truly great” are remembered for their ceaseless toil from the womb to the tomb - from birth to death. Like the sun that shines all through day and night, as it orbits from East to West, and back from West to East, these great celebrity heroes shone all through their living hours. Spender equates hours with suns, as all their hours are resplendent like the shining sun and like the sun, these great personalities also lived active hours. The poet says to the reader that these truly great people dwelt in a constant light where the hours are likened to the suns. “The sun is the main source of energy on earth. It is brilliant and a source of great inspiration, therefore Spender could be saying that their every hour was a source of great inspiration and full of achievement. Spender goes on to state that these great people had their aspirations, and their aspirations could be seen by the words that they spoke to the people”. 5 Their visionary ideas to transform the world are compared to blooming blossoms that lend colour and beauty to Nature. Sun, light, fire and blossoms are loaded with symbolism and they relate to eternity and energy, inspiration and achievement.
The poem is replete with symbols as we move into the second stanza. But the symbols cannot be treated as having one-to one correspondence that is easy of comprehension. At times, one wonders if Spender’s long-drawn similies are a trifle laboured and stretched! What is to be noted is they once again reflect the connection between the work of Nature and the work done by the truly great heroes of the past. The idea is to show that however hard the task is, there is always an essential happiness in doing hard work and achieving the fruits of one’s toil. Just as there is satisfaction and joy in drawing the blood from springs, these individuals conducted all their great acts and hard work with true happiness.
Spender describes these truly great people as those ‘who remembered the soul’s history from the womb’. ‘Soul’s history’ implies history of humankind from the beginning of time By forever remembering what humankind had gone through from the beginning of time, it allowed these individuals to be passionate about making a change and therefore they become so great.
Stephen Spender was always in contact with artists, litterateurs and cultural aesthetes and he shared with them their taste and sensitivity for art and aesthetics. He was concerned with art beyond borders, collaboration between artists and writers; solidarity against their censorship; and the moral responsibility of the creative individual in times of social crisis. This poem is very likely a summation of Spender’s love for art, his deep engagement with social issues and his belief in the responsibility of artists to play a significant role in shaping society and the world.
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