Ford Madox Ford
I
I should like to imagine
A moonlight in which there would be no machine-guns!
For, it is possible
To come out of a trench or a hut or a tent or a church all in ruins:
To see the black perspective of long avenues
All silent.
The white strips of sky
At the sides, cut by the poplar trunks:
The white strips of sky
Above, diminishing–
The silence and blackness of the avenue
Enclosed by immensities of space
Spreading away
Over No Man’s Land. . . .
For a minute . . .
For ten . . .
There will be no star shells
But the untroubled stars,
There will be no Very light
But the light of the quiet moon Like a swan. And silence. . . .
Then, far away to the right thro’ the moonbeams “Wukka Wukka” will go the machine-guns,
And, far away to the left
Wukka Wukka.
And sharply,
Wuk . . . Wuk. . . and then silence
For a space in the clear of the moon.
II
I should like to imagine
A moonlight in which the machine-guns of trouble
Will be silent. . . .
Do you remember, my dear,
Long ago, on the cliffs, in the moonlight,
Looking over to Flatholme
We sat. . . . Long ago! . . .
And the things that you told me . . . .
Little things in the clear of the moon,
The little, sad things of a life. . . .
We shall do it again
Full surely,
Sitting still, looking over at Flatholme.
Then, far away to the right
Shall sound the Machine Guns of trouble
Wukka-wukka!
And, far away to the left, under Flatholme,
Wukka-wuk! . . .
I wonder, my dear, can you stick it?
As we should say: “Stick it, the Welch!”
In the dark of the moon,
Going over. . . .
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This war poem offers a striking contrast between the speaker’s longing for peace and the ever-present violence of war, reflecting the psychological and emotional toll of conflict. At its core, the poem contrasts the idealized vision of a peaceful, moonlit world with the harsh reality of war. Through its simple yet haunting imagery, the poem conveys the fragility of peace and the difficulty of imagining a world free from violence.
The first part of the poem focuses on the speaker’s desire for a moment of quiet—one in which there are no machine-guns, no explosions, and no signs of warfare. The speaker imagines a world bathed in moonlight, where the only sounds are the natural ones: the rustling of trees, the distant hum of the wind, and the quiet beauty of the night. The image of the “untroubled stars” and the “light of the quiet moon like a swan” creates a sense of serenity that contrasts sharply with the chaos and destruction of the battlefield. The repetition of “Wukka Wukka” mimics the sound of machine-gun fire, a stark reminder that even in moments of quiet, the war is never truly gone. These machine-gun sounds are like a continuous intrusion into an otherwise peaceful landscape, emphasizing the inescapability of violence and trauma.
The second part of the poem introduces a more personal note. The speaker recalls a time before the war, a time of innocence, when they sat on the cliffs with someone dear to them, looking out at Flatholme. This moment of intimacy, of shared quiet, contrasts sharply with the present war-torn reality. The memories of those moments become a powerful anchor for the speaker—a yearning for a time when life seemed simpler and filled with quiet reflection. But again, the violence intrudes: the machine-guns of trouble are still there, echoing in the distance. The speaker’s mention of “stick it, the Welch” implies a tough, resilient attitude in the face of hardship, but it also hints at the weariness that comes with living through constant turmoil.
The recurring “Wukka Wukka” creates a rhythm throughout the poem, almost as if it is a part of the natural landscape now—something that cannot be avoided. It mirrors the way that war, even when it isn’t in the foreground, remains in the background, constantly shaping the speaker’s perception of the world. The shift between the quiet beauty of the imagined moonlit world and the harsh reality of the machine-gun fire feels jarring, but it also mirrors the fractured emotional landscape of a soldier or anyone living through war. The poem doesn’t just depict physical war—it delves into the emotional toll, the disconnection from peace, and the impossibility of fully escaping the impact of violence.
The speaker’s nostalgic memory of a peaceful time before the war emphasizes a profound sense of loss. Not only is there the physical destruction of war, but there’s also the loss of personal peace, relationships, and the ability to imagine a world untouched by conflict. The question “can you stick it?” highlights the emotional resilience needed to survive in such a world. The poem ends with the haunting image of “the machine guns of trouble,” showing that even the smallest moments of peace are disrupted by the violence that has become all-encompassing.
In a way, the poem paints a portrait of a soldier or a war-weary person’s internal world—one in which the past and the present collide, and where the longing for peace is perpetually overshadowed by the presence of war. It explores how memory and trauma coexist, and how, even in the stillness of the night, war’s sounds remain ever-present. The desire for a peaceful moonlit world, free from the constant noise of violence, feels almost unattainable, but it remains a dream that offers temporary respite from the ever-present reality of conflict. The poem doesn’t offer answers but instead captures the fragility of peace and the persistent toll that war takes on the human psyche.