I’ve just been reading the Notes on the Text of Danny Deever by Roger Ayers http://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/rg_deever_frame.htm and note that he says:
[Line 22] ‘- you must look him in the face;’ Not quite in sequence but Files on Parade would be marched past the scaffold after the execution and given the command ‘Eyes right’ so that they would have to look the corpse of Danny Deever full in the face.
Roger Ayers has immeasurably more knowledge and experience than I do with his analyses of Kipling’s works but to me it would seem more natural to take:
They are hangin' Danny Deever, you must mark 'im to 'is place,
For 'e shot a comrade sleepin' - you must look 'im in the face;
As meaning that when Danny Deever is on the gallows they must keep their eyes fixed on him as he is hanged and not avert them.
I would be interested to hear other people’s opinions on these words.
Finally, there was no comment in the Notes on lines 9 to 12
"What makes the rear-rank breathe so 'ard? " said Files-on-Parade.
"It's bitter cold, it's bitter cold," the Colour-Sergeant said.
"What makes that front-rank man fall down? " said Files-on-Parade.
"A touch o' sun, a touch o' sun," the Colour-Sergeant said.
Where the Colour Sergeant gives conflicting reasons to disguise the distress of the troops. This is something that strikes me, any possible perceived weakness of the soldiers must be hidden at all costs. On occasions like this they are expected to be completely emotionless.
Thank you to Roger Ayers for providing these Notes, I found them very interesting.
Paul Dover
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