Concetti Chiave
- The poem consists of two stanzas, each with six lines and a consistent rhyme scheme (ABABCC - DEDEFF).
- Regular punctuation and capitalization are used, with several instances of enjambment connecting lines.
- The first stanza employs elevated language with religious connotations, while the second uses more colloquial speech.
- Personification is evident in line 6, where Death is depicted as a character to be confronted.
- The poem contrasts idealistic views of war with the harsh realities faced by returning soldiers.
The Bishop tells us: “When the boys come back A
They will not be the same; for they'll have fought B
In a just cause: they lead the last attack A
On Anti-Christ; their comrades' blood has bought B
New right to breed an honorable race, C
They have challenged Death and dared him face to face.” C
“We're none of us the same!” the boys reply. D
“For George lost both his legs; and Bill's stone blind; E
Poor Jim's shot through the lungs and like to die; D
And Bert's gone syphilitic: you'll not find E
A chap who's served that hasn't found some change.” F
And the Bishop said: “The ways of God are strange!” F
The poem is split into two stanzas; each stanza is made up of six lines of regular length; each line begins with a capital letter. There is regular punctuation and a regular rhyme scheme (ABABCC – DEDEFF) and many run-on-lines, (lines 2-3, “When the boys come back They will not be the same”; lines 3-4, “for they'll have fought In a just cause”; lines 4-5, “their comrades' blood has bought New right to breed an honorable race”; lines 10-11, “you'll not find A chap who's served that hasn't found some change”).
There is a personification (line 6, “They have challenged Death and dared him face to face”). The writer uses two different types of language in the poem. In the first stanza he uses a high-flown language and the semantic area is connected with religion, in the second stanza he uses a common language. I really love this poem because the poet makes me understand the cruelty of war.