Ivor Gurney
There are strange Hells within the minds War made
Not so often, not so humiliating afraid
As one would have expected – the racket and fear guns made.
One Hell the Gloucester soldiers they quite put out;
Their first bombardment, when in combined black shout
Of fury, guns aligned, they ducked low their heads
And sang with diaphragms fixed beyond all dreads,
That tin and stretched-wire tinkle, that blither of tune;
“Apres la guerre fini” till Hell all had come down,
Twelve-inch, six-inch, and eighteen pounders hammering Hell’s thunders.
Where are they now on State-doles, or showing shop patterns
Or walking town to town sore in borrowed tatterns
Or begged. Some civic routine one never learns.
The heart burns – but has to keep out of face how heart burns.
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This war poem delves deep into the emotional aftermath of battle, focusing on the mental and psychological toll that war exacts on soldiers. Through evocative language and vivid imagery, the poet reveals the internal Hells that linger in the minds of those who survive war, underscoring the contrast between the loud, outward violence of battle and the quieter, more insidious struggles that soldiers face once the fighting stops.
The first part of the poem presents an unexpected reaction to the bombardment. Rather than cowering in fear, the Gloucester soldiers respond with defiance, singing a song (“Apres la guerre fini”) amidst the chaos of a brutal artillery barrage. This defiant, almost absurd moment of levity in the face of death contrasts sharply with the destructive power of the weapons being used. The soldiers’ singing acts as a form of psychological resistance, a way of asserting some semblance of normality and control in the midst of overwhelming violence. The juxtaposition of the sounds of war (“the racket and fear guns made”) with the soldiers’ song reveals how war forces individuals to cope with terror in strange, sometimes irrational ways. The mention of “twelve-inch, six-inch, and eighteen-pounders hammering Hell’s thunders” paints a vivid, almost surreal picture of the bombardment, emphasizing the sheer scale and brutality of the violence surrounding them.
Yet, as the poem shifts toward the present, the initial defiance fades. The soldiers who once faced death with song are now reduced to a quiet, disillusioned existence, forgotten and invisible in civilian life. The line “Where are they now on State-doles, or showing shop patterns” suggests that many of these men have been abandoned by society, left to fend for themselves in a world that does not acknowledge the depths of their sacrifice. The mundane activities of civilian life—”showing shop patterns” or “walking town to town sore in borrowed tatterns”—contrast starkly with the glory and action of battle, highlighting the disconnect between the soldiers’ former heroic experiences and their current, often depressing reality.
The line “Some civic routine one never learns” encapsulates the difficulty of reintegrating into a world that is indifferent to the horrors these soldiers have faced. The soldiers’ inability to find peace in civilian life is poignantly captured in the phrase “The heart burns – but has to keep out of face how heart burns.” This line reflects the inner turmoil that soldiers experience after war, a quiet pain that cannot be shown or expressed outwardly. It is as if the soldiers are forced to bury their trauma, to continue with life as if nothing has happened, while the emotional wounds fester beneath the surface.
In this way, the poem emphasizes the long-term effects of war on the human psyche. While the initial bombardment may have been loud, immediate, and terrifying, the true Hell lies in the aftermath—the isolation, the silent suffering, and the inability to reconcile the past with the present. The soldiers’ song, once a symbol of defiance and resistance, becomes a haunting echo of a world that no longer exists for them. The poet suggests that the emotional scars of war are more lasting and more difficult to confront than the physical dangers of the battlefield.
The final line is particularly resonant because it speaks to the invisibility of post-war trauma. These soldiers, who once sang in the face of death, are now part of an invisible, forgotten group, their suffering unrecognized by society. The heart “burns” with unresolved pain, yet they are forced to mask it, to hide it from the world. This subtle, internal suffering is far more complex and enduring than the immediate, visceral terror of combat.
Ultimately, the poem explores the long-lasting effects of war, showing how the violence and destruction of battle do not end when the fighting stops. The real “Hells” are not the ones found in the trenches or the battlefield but the psychological and emotional torment that continues long after the war is over. It’s a reflection on how soldiers, both mentally and physically scarred, are often left to navigate their pain alone, in a world that cannot fully comprehend their trauma.