John Le Gay Brereton
Stupidity and Selfishness and Fear,
Who hold enslaved the intellect of Man,
Have found their victims here.
We saw them go, alert to seek the van
Where phantom Glory showered her withering leaves;
Now they return who can.
Slowly, full-fraught with pain, the vessel heaves
From labouring seas, and creeps along the bay
To where the city grieves.
Happy are those who limp the dusty way;
And those whose eyes can meet the loving glance,
Happy indeed are they.
But mock them not with babble of romance:
They have glared at death across the orient rocks
Or in the mire of France.
O welcome to your land of herds and flocks
And fields that pray toward a fairy sky
That promises and mocks.
Welcome! our eyes are strained and sorrow-dry,
Watching for peace and you, and every heart
Would fain, but cannot, cry.
For you who, led by love, have borne your part
Where war’s black ploughshare turns the bloody sand
And crops of hatred start—
For you and by your help, heroic band,
We swear by love and labour to make this
A lovelier, worthier land.
Nor shall we let the home-bred serpent hiss
Unscotched upon our hearth, if ever here
Our hope and fortune kiss.
The workers of the battered world draw near,
Scorning a foeman’s name. The heart of Man
In every land is dear.
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This poem speaks to the aftermath of war, the profound disillusionment that soldiers face as they return to a world that feels both familiar and painfully different. The opening lines set the tone, naming the enemies that have clouded human reasoning: *”Stupidity and Selfishness and Fear,”* suggesting that these forces, not just the war itself, have corrupted the minds of those involved. The soldiers, referred to as “victims” here, are the ones who have fallen prey to these traits, and the speaker reflects on the tragic irony of their participation.
The poem then moves to describe the soldiers’ return from the war. The phrase *”Slowly, full-fraught with pain, the vessel heaves”* is an effective metaphor for the journey back, likening the soldiers to a ship struggling against the waves, weighed down with the trauma and suffering they’ve endured. The physical return is mirrored in the mental and emotional scars they carry. The imagery of the *”city grieves”* suggests that the homecoming is not one of celebration, but of mourning—for both the soldiers and the world they are returning to. The city itself seems complicit in this grief, as it remains unchanged while its citizens attempt to comprehend the horrors the soldiers have experienced.
The poem contrasts the broken soldiers with the ordinary, peaceful lives of those who stayed behind, who *”limp the dusty way”* and can look others in the eye without the burden of war. These civilians are “happy” because they have not been through the same trauma. Yet, the speaker warns them not to romanticize the soldiers’ experiences. *”Mock them not with babble of romance,”* he says, urging the reader to recognize that these men have been to hell and back. They have seen death up close, whether it was *”across the orient rocks”* (perhaps alluding to battles fought in the Middle East) or *”in the mire of France”* (a likely reference to World War I’s brutal Western Front). The line emphasizes how different the soldiers’ reality is from the comfortable illusions of those who were untouched by war.
The transition from the soldier’s traumatic return to the promise of peace is stark and sobering. The soldiers are welcomed, but the speaker also comments on the emptiness of that greeting. The city they return to is a place where *”fields that pray toward a fairy sky / That promises and mocks”*—a place where false hopes of peace are easily shattered. The soldiers’ return is marked by *”strained and sorrow-dry”* eyes, reflecting the difficulty of returning to normalcy when everything has been irrevocably changed.
Yet, despite the disillusionment, the speaker acknowledges the sacrifices the soldiers have made: *”For you, and by your help, heroic band,”* the country swears to build a better world. The invocation of love and labor hints at an idealistic vision of rebuilding and healing, but it also suggests that this vision is still clouded by the reality of war. The soldiers’ sacrifices are seen as necessary to move forward, but the deep scars left behind can never truly be erased.
In the final stanza, there is a call for unity and action. The *”workers of the battered world”* are urged to draw near, *”scorning a foeman’s name.”* The poem ends with a vision of solidarity, where people from all corners of the world unite against common forces, and *”the heart of Man / In every land is dear.”* This is a powerful conclusion, showing that despite the war’s devastation, there remains hope for human connection and peace.
The poem’s underlying message is that war, while leaving destruction in its wake, also offers an opportunity to rebuild—though not in the naïve, romanticized way many might imagine. It’s a plea for understanding the complexities of what soldiers endure and a call to action for a world that can learn from its mistakes. The speaker’s tone is both reverent and mournful, asking for a world where war’s sacrifices are not forgotten, but transformed into a force for unity and healing.