On Somme

Ivor Gurney 1890 ( Gloucester) – 1937 ( London)



Suddenly into the still air burst thudding
And thudding and cold fear possessed me all,
On the gray slopes there, where Winter in sullen brooding
Hung between height and depth of the ugly fall
Of Heaven to earth; and the thudding was illness own.
But still a hope I kept that were we there going over
I; in the line, I should not fail, but take recover
From others courage, and not as coward be known.
No flame we saw, the noise and the dread alone
Was battle to us; men were enduring there such
And such things, in wire tangled, to shatters blown.
Courage kept, but ready to vanish at first touch.
Fear, but just held. Poets were luckier once
In the hot fray swallowed and some magnificence

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

39 sec read
95

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDDCCECEFF
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 686
Words 131
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

Ivor Gurney

Ivor Bertie Gurney (28 August 1890 – 26 December 1937) was an English poet and composer, particularly of songs. He was born and raised in Gloucester. He suffered from manic depression through much of his life.  more…

All Ivor Gurney poems | Ivor Gurney Books

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