Ivor Gurney
Certain people would not clean their buttons,
Nor polish buckles after latest fashions,
Preferred their hair long, putties comfortable,
Barely escaping hanging, indeed hardly able;
In Bridge and smoking without army cautions
Spending hours that sped like evil for quickness,
(While others burnished brasses, earned promotions)
These were those ones who jested in the trench,
While others argued of army ways, and wrenched
What little soul they had still further from shape,
And died off one by one, or became officers,
Without the first of dream, the ghost of notions
Of ever becoming soldiers, or smart and neat,
Surprised as ever to find the army capable
Of sounding ‘Lights out’ to break a game of Bridge,
As to fear candles would set a barn alight:
In Artois or Picardy they lie – free of useless fashions.
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This poem stands as a biting critique of the absurdities and contradictions of war, focusing on the disconnect between the soldiers’ lives in the trenches and the expectations imposed by military hierarchy and societal norms. The speaker begins with a description of a group of soldiers who, in their own idiosyncratic way, resist the pressure to conform to the strict discipline of the army. These men don’t bother with the usual formalities—*“would not clean their buttons / Nor polish buckles after latest fashions.”* They are disinterested in the superficial aspects of soldiering, and the poem contrasts them with others who obsess over their appearance and position in the ranks.
The soldiers in question—*“Preferred their hair long, putties comfortable”*—seem to prefer practicality over presentation, an attitude that aligns with the grittier, more human side of war. This deliberate disregard for military norms positions them as outsiders within the army, but their rebellion is not out of spite; it’s a matter of survival and necessity. They are not caught up in the vanity of status or looking the part. The speaker remarks that they are “barely escaping hanging” and “hardly able,” a dark reference to the disillusionment of soldiers who, instead of trying to climb the ranks, simply try to survive.
The juxtaposition between these “rebellious” soldiers and the others who “burnished brasses, earned promotions” highlights the absurdity of military hierarchy in the face of the daily violence and chaos of war. While some fight for status and recognition, others just try to keep their heads down and find solace in small pleasures, such as smoking or playing Bridge. The act of playing cards in the trenches, though it may seem trivial, represents an escape from the horror and a way to maintain some semblance of normalcy amidst the madness. The poem underscores how these men, despite the war, still maintain a sense of humanity by engaging in small acts of defiance or indulgence in the face of otherwise unimaginable suffering.
The reference to soldiers “arguing of army ways, and wrenched / What little soul they had still further from shape” speaks to the way in which war forces soldiers to abandon any semblance of identity or individuality in the name of discipline and survival. The question of what it means to be a “soldier” is called into doubt. For some, it’s a matter of conforming to the military structure, and for others, it’s about resisting conformity while still fulfilling their role. The soldiers who just “jest in the trench” seem to have kept a semblance of their original selves, while others—those who become officers—have likely lost more of their soul in the process of climbing the ranks. The harsh realities of war strip men down, forcing them to become either cynics or self-preservers, and there is little room for idealism.
The line “surprised as ever to find the army capable / Of sounding ‘Lights out’ to break a game of Bridge” is a sharp commentary on the dissonance between the trivialities of military life—like a game of cards—and the brutal orders that define it. The notion that “Lights out,” a command intended to ensure discipline, is the thing that interrupts their fleeting pleasures feels almost absurd, and yet it speaks to the deep irony that underpins life in the trenches. The men are still surprised to find that the army operates as an institution, capable of disrupting their lives even in the most trivial of ways.
The last few lines turn reflective as the speaker looks to the fate of these soldiers in the trenches: *“In Artois or Picardy they lie – free of useless fashions.”* The mention of Artois and Picardy grounds the poem in the specifics of World War I, areas that were heavily contested during the conflict. The “useless fashions” of the army, including both the military regulations and the societal expectations that define what it means to be a proper soldier, are rendered irrelevant by death. In the end, those who chose to reject such superficialities—who resisted the pressures to conform—find themselves free of the “fashions” that once seemed so important. Death, in this case, is portrayed as an equalizer, leveling all distinctions between rank, appearance, and ideology.
This poem captures the absurdity of war and its dehumanizing effects, especially when soldiers are more concerned with surviving than with playing the role of dutiful officers or soldiers in the traditional sense. It critiques the obsession with appearances, promotions, and protocols, suggesting that the real reality of war lies in simple acts of survival and human connection, even in the face of death. The soldiers who resist the superficial expectations are depicted as more real, more human in their refusal to let the war strip them of everything.