A new heaven

(Though still we crouched by bluebells moon by moon)
And missed the tide of Lethe; yet are soon
For that new bridge that leaves old Styx half-spanned;
Nor ever unto Mecca caravanned;
Nor bugled Asgard, skilled in magic rune;
Nor yearned for far Nirvana, the sweet swoon,
And from high Paradise are cursed and banned;

-Let's die home, ferry across the Channel! Thus
Shall we live gods there. Death shall be no sev'rance.
Weary cathedrals light new shrines for us.
To us, rough knees of boys shall ache with rev'rence.
Are not girls' breasts a clear, strong Acropole?
-There our oun mothers' tears shall heal us whole.

Mythological Terms



New Heaven - 'The new heaven and the new earth will not be separate from each other; the earth of the saints, their glorified, bodies, will be heavenly. The old world, with all its troubles and tumults, will have passed away.'
Lethe - It literally means oblivion or forgetfulness.It refers to the river of forgetfulness,one of the five rivers in Hades .It causes forgetfulness of the past in those who drink of it.
Styx - It literally means hate or detestation.It refer to the river across which the souls of the dead are ferried by Charon ,one of the five rivers in Hades.This Egyptian word is a substitute for ferryman
Reference
Five rivers in Hades
1.Acheron - the river of woe
2. Cocytus - the river of lamentation
Lethe - the river of oblivion
Phlegethon - the river of fire
Styx - the river of hate
Mecca - It refers to a city of western Saudi Arabia near the coast of the Red Sea. This is the birth place of Mohammad.It is an honest city of Islam and a pilgrimage site for all devout believers of the faith.
Asgard - This refers to the city of the Norse gods(Aesir) and slain heroes of war in Norway.
Nirbana - In Buddhism it refers to the final release from the cycle of reincarnation attained by extinction of all desires and individual existence ,culminating (in Buddhism) in absolute blessedness ; or (in Hinduism ) in absorption into Brahman.
The ineffable ultimate in which one has attained disinterested wisdom and compassion.
In Hinduism it refers to Emancipation from ignorance and extinction of all attachments.
It refers to an ideal state of rest ,harmony ,stability and joy.
Paradise -Eden Garden/Heaven/the Abode of righteous souls after death/an intermediate resting place for righteous souls awaiting the Resurrection


other words




fairyland - an imaginary world of the fairies
gay - happy
crouched - stooped,especially with the knees bent
bluebell - flower/ harebell / European liliaceous woodland plant,Hyancinthoides(or Endimion) non scripta ,having a one-sided cluster of blue bell shaped flowers/any numerous plants of the bell flower family ,having blue ,bell shaped flowers as the harebell
spanned - the section between two inter mediate supports of a bridge/the breadth/the extent /a measure of space between two points or extremities ,as of a bridge or roof
caravanned - a brit to travel or have a holiday in a caravan
caravan-a number of people traveling together
rune - a similar character in another alphabet ,sometimes believed to have magic powers /a poem or incantation or mysterious significance especially a magic charm.
Runes were employed in casting spells ,as to gain a kiss from a sweetheart or to make an enemy's gut burst......
swoon - a state of ecstasy or rapture
curse - blaspheme/afflict/excommunicate/swear profanely
banned - prohibited ,especially by official decree
ferry - transport(people,vehicle or goods) by boat across a body of water /cross by boat
Channel - narrow arm of the Atlantic Ocean separating the Southern Coast of England from the Northern Coast of France and tapering Eastward to its junction with the North Sea at the strait of Dover.It means communication.severance - partition/separation/breaking off
reverence - a feeling of profound awe and respect and often love /veneration/an act of showing respect ,especially /a bow of curtsy
shrine - a place of religious devotion or commemoration such as a place where devotions paid to a deity or deities.
Acropole - a raised area holding a building ,a cluster of buildings ,especially in a pre-columbian city.


title

'The new heaven and the new earth will not be separate from each other; the earth of the saints, their glorified, bodies, will be heavenly. The old world, with all its troubles and tumults, will have passed away.'

Revelation 21 echoes these lines.But here in Owen's sonnet the title is a strict irony.Here we see the soldiers are wondering .They are not permitted to enter into the conventional heaven.Instead they are compelled to enter into a new heaven(hell) that is suitable for the soldiers who have been engaged in ruthless inhumanity in killing human lives .