In Short
- In Wilfred Owen’s anti-war poem “Strange Meeting”, two dead soldiers from the opposite camp meet in the afterlife.
- The poet conveys the message of the pity of war through their conversation.
Strange Meeting – Line wise Explanation
Lines 1-3
It seemed that out of battle I escaped
Down some profound dull tunnel, long since scooped
Through granites which titanic wars had groined.
Wilfred Owen’s poem “Strange Meeting” starts with the speaker escaping from the battle field and entering into a deep (profound), dark (dull) tunnel which was created (scooped) or cut (groined) through the granite bedrock long ago by some massive (titanic) wars in the past.
So, it looks like our speaker here is a soldier who escapes from the battle field. But wait! we can’t be sure whether it’s real. Look at the words “it seemed”. It makes us think of a dream or some other kind of unreality. Anyway, ‘escaping’ from the battle field brings a sense of relief from the horror of war which the soldier-speaker was afraid of. So, definitely the poem is not going to depict war in the light of heroism and pride.
And the deep tunnel created by some titanic wars long ago not only means that multiple destructive wars were fought at the same place, but also suggests that the human history is full of battles and wars.
Lines 4-8
Yet also there encumbered sleepers groaned,
Too fast in thought or death to be bestirred.
Then, as I probed them one sprang up and stared
With piteous recognition in fixed eyes,
Lifting distressful hands as if to bless.
In the dark tunnel there are people who are sleeping and groaning. Not sure about the reason of the groaning though — maybe they too are soldiers who escaped from the battle and are injured, so groaning from the pain? However, the speaker says they are either too deeply asleep to be roused (bestirred) or they are dead.
So, it looks like an eerie atmosphere inside the dark tunnel. That is not at all welcoming for the speaker who escaped from the horrors of the battle field to find some solace.
However, one of the people lying there jumped up and stared at the speaker when he poked them, maybe with his finger, to see whether they were alive. The person stared at the speaker as if he could recognize him and he pitied him. He lifted his hand sadly as if he wished to bless the speaker.
Lines 9-10
“And by his smile, I knew that sullen hall
By his dead smile I knew we stood in hell”
The man is smiling at the speaker but it is not the smile of happiness, rather a weird kind of smile. The speaker calls it ‘dead smile’. His smile helps the speaker identify the place as hell.
Remember the words “it seemed” from the first line of the poem? Now we are convinced we are dealing with some kind of unreality here. The speaker calls the place a ‘sullen (gloomy) hall’ at first and then calls it ‘hell’. How did he reach hell? What is he doing there? He wanted to find some relief inside the tunnel, but he reached hell? So, is the speaker dead too?
So, ten lines into the poem “Strange Meeting”, we are still not quite sure about a lot of things and everything seems creepy and mysterious. You can’t even be sure whether the speaker is having a bad dream or he is already dead. Maybe we will get the answers going further into the poem.
Lines 11-13
“With a thousand fears that vision’s face was grained
Yet no blood reached there from the upper ground,
And no guns thumped, or down the flues made moan”
So, the man lifting his hand up is a ‘vision’ indeed, i.e., he is already dead. Our speaker feels that ‘a thousand fears’, i.e., horrors and traumas are deeply ingrained into the vision’s face. Most possibly, the ‘vision’ here is also a soldier who died in the war. We would know that later in the poem.
However, the speaker finds his fear unrealistic as he sees no blood (suggests violence) reaching there inside the tunnel from the battlefield on the upper ground. He even hears no gunfire (“no guns thumped”) or the eerie noises of war echoing through the tunnels (“down the flues made moan”).
Apparently, the horrors of war left psychological scars in the dead soldier’s mind. The silence inside the tunnel contrasts sharply with the typical cacophony of the battle ground outside. On a similar note, the psychological scars of the war contrasts with the lack of visible wounds on the dead soldier’s face.
Lines 14-18
“Strange friend” I said “here is no cause to mourn”.
“None” said that other, “save the undone years,
The hopelessness. Whatever hope is yours,
Was my life also; I went hunting wild
After the wildest beauty in the world,”
Now the speaker addresses the other soldier as ‘strange friend’ as he is unfamiliar to him and their meeting is unexpected (Remember the title “Strange Meeting”?). The speaker assures him that there is no need to mourn or grieve.
The other soldier responds by stating that there is indeed nothing to mourn because of his death on the battlefield. Instead, he mourns for the lost years of his life (undone years) and the loss of hope. This suggests a lament for the lost potential and unfulfilled aspirations resulting from the devastation of war. The soldier seems to have lost his life at a very young age and he is very unhappy about it.
The second soldier then goes on to say that he had the same hopes as the speaker has in his life. He was restlessly in search of the ‘wildest beauty in the world’.
Lines 19-21
“Which lies not calm in eyes or, braided hair,
But mocks the steady running of hour,
And if it grieves, grieves richlier than here”
The ‘wildest beauty’ which the other soldier looked for in life was not something found in familiar things. It doesn’t lie quietly in beautiful eyes or neatly braided hair of a woman. It doesn’t care for routine things, so it makes fun of the constant running of the time. And even though that pursuit of beauty sometimes grieves more deeply than the grief here in the hell, the soldier enjoyed hunting that beauty in his life.
By that the soldier might be suggesting a pursuit of intense, untamed experiences and beauty, perhaps indicating a quest for meaning or fulfillment in a world marked by chaos and brutality. He mourns here now that he will no longer be able to chase that wildest beauty which he enjoyed pursuing.
Lines 22-25
“For by my glee might many men have laughed,
And for my weeping something has been left,
This must die now. I mean the truth untold,
The pity of war, the pity war distilled.”
The second soldier is still talking about his regrets. He says that not only does he miss his lost years or hopes but other people also miss him because his happiness (glee) brought smile for many people like his family members and friends.
Even out of his sadness (weeping) he has left something which will be lost now (must die now) at his death. That ‘something’ actually is some ‘truth untold’. He was not able to share the truth with other people before his death. And that truth is ‘the pity of war’ — the sorrow, compassion and regret for all the destruction, horror and disappointment that war caused.
The line “The pity of war, the pity war distilled.” is probably the most important line in the entire poem. It reflects the central theme of Owen’s poem “Strange Meeting” by conveying the poet’s anti-war message. In the preface to his book, the poet wrote: ‘My subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity.’
Lines 26-29
“Now men will go content with what we spoiled.
Or, discontent, boil bloody, and be spilled.
They will be swift with swiftness of tigress.
None will break ranks, though nations trek from progress.”
In line 26 of the poem “Strange Meeting”, the dead soldier in hell regrets that now as he didn’t get to tell people about the pity and the futility of war, people will continue to glorify war and be happy (content) with the way their soldiers fought and the destructive things their army have done.
However, if they are unhappy (discontent), they will become angry (‘boil bloody’ suggests warming their blood, i.e., being angry), and keep fighting killing each other (‘be spilled’ indicates spilling blood). As the other soldier missed telling people how useless war is, they will remain aggressive and full of energy and madness and continue battling with the swiftness of a tigress.
In line 29, the phrase ‘break ranks’ means failing to remain in line, i.e., going against the authorities. So, the second speaker (the dead soldier) regrets that nobody will speak out against their leaders or disagree with the governments, even though by fighting wars the nations are moving away from progress rather than towards it. This line from Owen is a harsh critique on war. Nations go for war generally to gain something for the country, but the poet opines that they never make a progress by fighting wars.
Lines 30-33
“Courage was mine, and I had mystery,
Wisdom was mine, and I had mastery:
To miss the march of this retreating world
Into vain citadels that are not walled.”
The second speaker now talks about how he had the ability to break ranks – to go against the war – ‘to miss the march of this retreating world’. He had the required courage, wisdom and expertise, and he knew the sad reality of war (I had mystery). So, he could easily speak out against war.
He thinks that the world is marching backwards (retreating) – the civilization is declining due to war. He believes that the war-ridden world is going into useless (vain) fortresses (citadels) which are not really protected (walled). In other words, nothing can protect the soldiers or the city from the devastation of war. Nothing great or no real victory can be achieved through war.
Lines 34-36
“Then, when much blood had clogged their chariot-wheels
I would go up and wash them from the sweet wells,
Even with truths that lie too deep for taint.”
The second soldier now says that when there would be too much war and too much blood and deaths in the world – when the metaphorical chariot-wheels of war machine would be clogged with blood, he would come forward to wash and purify those wheels with water from the sweet wells, and even with truths which are so true and powerful that those can’t be tainted or distorted.
In easy words, if the soldier had been alive, he would not tolerate so much bloodshed and killings of fellow citizens in war. He would go up and protest against it. He would tell people the truth that war is not about heroism, glory or victory, but it’s all about violence, destruction and loss. War is futile and cannot bring any good.
Lines 37-39
“I would have poured my spirit without stint
But not through wounds, not on the cess of war.
Foreheads of men have bled where no wounds were.”
The soldier asserts that he would have spent his entire life and put up his fullest efforts (‘without stint’ means without limit) to make people aware of the truths of war. But he would do that not through violence and destruction, not at the expense of war. The word ‘cess’ means ‘tax levied’ and it can also mean ‘filth’. In both ways, the second speaker means to say that he won’t choose the expensive and filthy path of war for his goal of spreading the truth regarding war.
In line 39 of the poem, the second soldier supports his cause by arguing that even the soldiers who are not physically injured in war or even the people who don’t directly participate in war, often suffer mental agony and trauma seeing the bloodshed or losing their near and dear ones – their foreheads, and their hearts for that matter, bleed even without visible wounds.
This mental anguish does not cure easily. The soldier himself is still suffering from this pain. So, it was imperative for him to campaign against war. But now that he is dead, he cannot do so and hence he is regretful and sad.
Lines 40-44
I am the enemy you killed my friend.
I knew you in this dark, for so you frowned,
Yesterday through me as you jabbed and killed.
I parried; but my hands were loath and cold.
Let us sleep now …
Well, the poem comes to an abrupt end with the second speaker revealing his identity. Now we come to know that he is the enemy soldier whom our first speaker had killed the previous day. He could recognize him the moment he frowned today while poking at the dead bodies here the same way as he frowned the previous day when he killed him in the battle by jabbing with his bayonet. Now this explains line 7 of the poem where the second speaker “stared with piteous recognition” in his eyes.
Here, you may not miss the placing of two opposite words “enemy” and “friend” in the same line to convey the irony that the soldiers necessarily have no enmity between them but they are forced to act like enemies in the battlefield.
The second soldier continues that he tried to block the enemy or defend himself (I parried) while he was being killed in war, but his hands were so unwilling (loath) and so clumsy maybe due to tiredness and fatigue of fighting for long that he could not protect himself and was killed.
Now he suggests the first speaker, whom he considers his friend, that they should sleep now. There is not much they can do now as they are already dead and have reached the hell. They should take rest now as they are very tired both physically and mentally by the devastation of war.
Strange Meeting – Into Details
Publication
“Strange Meeting” is a poem by Wilfred Owen, a renowned English poet who served as a soldier during World War I. The poem was written sometime in 1918 and first published posthumously in 1919 in Owen’s poetry collection titled “The Poems of Wilfred Owen”, which was edited by Siegfried Sassoon, another prominent poet of the time and a friend of Owen.
The collection was published by Chatto & Windus, a respected British publishing house, and it included many of Owen’s most famous works, such as “Anthem for Doomed Youth”, “Dulce et Decorum Est“, and of course, “Strange Meeting.” The publication of Owen’s poetry posthumously played a significant role in establishing his reputation as one of the most important war poets of the 20th century.
“Strange Meeting” itself is considered one of Owen’s masterpieces, exploring themes of war, suffering, and the futility of conflict. Its publication alongside other powerful anti-war poems contributed to Owen’s lasting legacy as a poet who vividly captured the horrors of war and the human cost of violence.
Background
Wilfred Owen wrote “Strange Meeting” during World War I, a conflict that profoundly impacted the world and shaped Owen’s experiences and poetry. Born in 1893, Owen joined the British Army in 1915, and served as a soldier on the Western Front in France.
During his time in the trenches, Owen witnessed the brutal realities of war, including the horrors of trench warfare, gas attacks, and the loss of comrades. These experiences deeply affected Owen and influenced his poetry, which often depicted the harsh truths of war and its devastating effects on soldiers.
“Strange Meeting” was written in 1918, towards the end of the war, and it reflects Owen’s growing disillusionment with the war. World War I, with its unprecedented scale of destruction and loss of life, provides the backdrop for Owen’s poetry, including “Strange Meeting”. The poem serves as a powerful critique of the futility of war and the toll it takes on individuals and society as a whole.
Tragically, Wilfred Owen did not live to see the publication of his poetry, including “Strange Meeting”. He was killed in action on November 4, 1918, just one week before the Armistice that ended the war. However, his poetry has since become celebrated for its vivid portrayal of the human cost of war and its enduring relevance in conveying the horrors of war to future generations.
Setting
Wilfred Owen’s poem “Strange Meeting” begins in a dark and deep tunnel which the speaker later identifies as hell. It’s a bizarre landscape that transcends the physical realm. It is depicted as a place beyond life, where the souls of soldiers who perished in war find themselves after their earthly lives have ended.
It is the strange place where the speaker encounters another dead soldier. The landscape is characterized by darkness and desolation, with many other sleepers groaning there. The imagery suggests a sense of eeriness and foreboding, evoking the grim reality of war and its devastating consequences.
Despite the bleakness of the setting, there is also a sense of peace and introspection. No blood reached there from the upper ground and no guns thumped. It is a place where profound truths are revealed and where the soldiers confront the emotional and psychological scars of war.
Overall, the setting of “Strange Meeting” serves as a symbolic representation of the emotional journey undertaken by the soldiers as they come to terms with the senselessness of war and the universal humanity that binds them together, even in death.
Title
The title of the poem “Strange Meeting” by Wilfred Owen is highly appropriate as it captures the essence of the encounter between the two soldiers in the afterlife. The word “strange” suggests something unusual or unexpected. A meeting between two dead persons in the hell is, no doubt, unusual.
The strangeness is reinforced by the speaker’s description of escaping from battle into a “profound dull tunnel” and encountering another soldier in a place that seems far removed from reality. Additionally, the word “meeting” implies a coming together or encounter between individuals, emphasizing the significance of the interaction between the two soldiers.
Overall, the title “Strange Meeting” effectively captures the mysterious and profound nature of the encounter depicted in the poem, making it a fitting choice.
Form and language
“Strange Meeting” is a four-stanza poem containing 44 lines. It is one of the lengthy poems of Owen. The first stanza creates a dream-like setting where we find the speaker escaping from the battle field to find some solace inside a dark tunnel. The second stanza describes the bizarre landscape with many sleepers groaning there and finally the speaker identifying it as the hell.
The third stanza, the longest and the most important one, contains the monologue of the dead soldier and reveals the theme of the poem — the futility of war. And the final one brings the poem to an abrupt end with a twist revealing the identity of the dead soldier and spreading the message that there is no real enmity between the soldiers.
Though “Strange Meeting” is basically a narrative poem, the language in the middle changes to become rather abstract and philosophical. Owen employs vivid and sensory imagery throughout the poem to evoke the horrors of war. Descriptions of the “profound dull tunnel,” “encumbered sleepers,” and the “sullen hall” of hell create a vivid and haunting atmosphere, immersing the reader in the speaker’s nightmarish experience. The poet also employs symbolism and irony to convey his message regarding the senselessness of war.
Meter and Rhyme
“Strange Meeting” by Wilfred Owen employs a metrical pattern that contributes to the poem’s overall tone and rhythm. The poem is written predominantly in iambic pentameter which is commonly found in English poetry. This metrical pattern consists of ten syllables per line, with alternating stressed and unstressed syllables.
It seemed | that out | of batt– | le I | escaped
Down some | profound | dull tunn– | el, long | since scooped
Through gran– | ites which | ti-tan– | ic wars | had groined.
However, Owen deviates from strict iambic pentameter at times, employing variations in meter to enhance the poem’s emotional impact and reflect the chaotic nature of war.
For example, in line 30 and 31, the lines start with a trochee, a metrical foot containing a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one. This is exact opposite of an iambic foot.
Courage | was mine, | and I | had mys– | tery,
Wisdom | was mine, | and I | had mas– | tery:
Additionally, the poem features irregular line lengths and enjambment, where sentences and phrases flow seamlessly from one line to the next. For instance, line 29 and 34 have 11 syllables each in place of 10. Again, line 32 and 33 are a good example of enjambment. Notice the continuation of the sentence to the next line of verse.
To miss the march of this retreating world
Into vain citadels that are not walled.
These structural elements create a sense of fluidity and movement, mirroring the speaker’s journey through the surreal landscape of the afterlife. Overall, the metrical pattern of “Strange Meeting” contributes to the thematic exploration of the poem.
To talk about the rhyme scheme, in “Strange Meeting”, Owen has used heroic couplet where two lines of iambic pentameter rhymes with each other. But the rhyme used here is not perfect rhyme, but can be called slant rhyme. Notice the rhyme between “escaped” and “scooped”, “groined” and “groaned”, “hall” and “hell” or “years” and “yours”. These words sound similar but not exactly same. In most cases, the consonants match but the vowels don’t.
Again, in lines 7 and 8, “eyes” and “bless”; or in lines 24 and 25, “untold” and “distilled” — these are some examples which can be categorised as half rhymes where only the final consonant sounds match. Another deviation is in lines 19, 20 and 21 where three lines rhyme in a row. However, this kind of imperfections in the rhyme scheme of the poem fits well with the theme of senselessness of war.
Strange Meeting – Themes
War and its Futility
One of the central themes of Owen’s poem “Strange Meeting” is the senselessness and futility of war. Owen vividly portrays the devastating consequences of conflict, depicting a surreal afterlife where soldiers continue to suffer from mental trauma and lament their experiences in war. The poem suggests that war only leads to destruction and despair, without offering any meaningful resolution or redemption.
Comradeship and Brotherhood
Despite the horrors of war, “Strange Meeting” also emphasizes the bonds of comradeship and brotherhood that develop among soldiers. The speaker’s encounter with the other soldier in the underworld highlights the universal humanity that transcends nationalities and allegiances. We see the second soldier calling the first speaker ‘friend’ towards the end of the poem. This underscores the idea that soldiers, despite being on opposing sides, share common experiences and emotions.
Truth and Revelation
“Strange Meeting” also delves into the themes of truth and revelation, as the encounter between the speaker and the other soldier leads to profound insights and revelations. Through their dialogue, the soldiers confront the harsh realities of war and that it should not be glorified. This theme underscores the importance of confronting uncomfortable truths and acknowledging the human cost of violence.
Strange Meeting – Symbols
In “Strange Meeting” by Wilfred Owen, several symbols are used to convey deeper meanings and enhance the poem’s themes. Here are some key symbols:
The Tunnel
The tunnel represents the transition from life to death, as well as the journey into the afterlife. It symbolizes the speaker’s descent into a surreal and mysterious realm where he encounters another soldier.
Hell
The reference to Hell symbolizes the hellish reality of war and the psychological torment experienced by soldiers. It reflects the speaker’s realization that the true horrors of war extend beyond the physical battlefield to encompass the emotional and spiritual toll of violence.
The Smile
The smile of the soldier in Hell serves as a poignant symbol of the facade of bravery and stoicism maintained by soldiers in the face of death. It underscores the tragic irony of war, where outward appearances often conceal inner turmoil and suffering.
Blood
Blood is often used as a symbol in literature, representing various themes such as violence, sacrifice or death. In “Strange Meeting” by Wilfred Owen, blood can be interpreted as representing the physical and psychological wounds inflicted by war. The mention of blood, or the absence thereof, may evoke images of the brutality and carnage of battle, as well as the lasting scars left on both individuals and society.
Citadel
Citadels are fortified structures often associated with military defence and power. In the poem, the mention of “vain citadels” suggests a futile pursuit of power or security through warfare. These citadels may symbolize the false sense of safety or superiority that nations or individuals seek to establish through conflict. By describing them as “vain,” Owen suggests that such efforts are ultimately fruitless and illusory, highlighting the senselessness of war and the folly of pursuing dominance through violence.
Chariot Wheels
The dead soldier’s desire to wash the chariot wheels clogged with blood symbolizes the destructive force of war, often associated with violence and bloodshed. This imagery suggests a tipping point, where the excessive violence and brutality of war become unsustainable, threatening the very fabric of life on earth. Wilfred Owen employs this symbol to underscore his anti-war message, emphasizing the need for empathy, understanding, and diplomacy in resolving conflicts. It serves as a poignant reminder that during dire times, we must seek resolution through peaceful means rather than perpetuating the cycle of war.
Sweet wells/water
In “Strange Meeting” by Wilfred Owen, the symbol of the “sweet well” represents a source of purity and cleansing amidst the chaos and horror of war. Water typically implies nourishment, sustenance, and renewal. In the context of the poem, the act of washing the chariot wheels “from sweet wells” suggests a desire to cleanse or purify people’s mind and take them towards peace from war.
Additionally, the well may also symbolize a metaphorical source of truth or wisdom, as water often represents knowledge and enlightenment in literature.
Overall, the symbol of the sweet well in “Strange Meeting” serves to underscore the poem’s themes of redemption, reconciliation, and the search for meaning amidst the horrors of war. It offers a glimmer of hope and humanity amidst the darkness, suggesting that even in the midst of chaos, there remains the possibility of cleansing and renewal.
Strange Meeting – Literary Devices
End-stopped Lines
Most lines in the poem “Strange Meeting” are end-stopped lines where a sentence or phrase comes to an end with the end of the line of verse, generally with a punctuation mark like a comma, colon, full stop etc. For example:
I am the enemy you killed, my friend.
I knew you in this dark: for so you frowned
Yesterday through me as you jabbed and killed.
I parried; but my hands were loath and cold.
Enjambment
While the poem strongly maintains end-stopped lines, a few enjambments are also employed here and there. An enjambment is a continuation of a sentence or phrase to the next line of verse without any punctuation at the end of the line. Here is an example from the very first stanza:
It seemed that out of battle I escaped
Down some profound dull tunnel, long since scooped
Through granites which titanic wars had groined.
Caesura
It is a short pause in the middle of a line, generally using a comma or semicolon.
Then, as I probed them, one sprang up, and stared
With piteous recognition in fixed eyes,
Lifting distressful hands, as if to bless.
Simile
Simile is a direct comparison generally using ‘as’ or ‘like’. Though a couple of similes are found in the poem “Strange Meeting”, they are not simple and straightforward.
Lifting distressful hands, as if to bless.
Here an explicit comparison is made to describe the way in which the hands are raised.
They will be swift with swiftness of the tigress.
As the second soldier says, the youth of future who will not be aware of the devastating effect of war will be ‘swift with the swiftness of tigress’. It is also an example of simile as the swiftness of the youth is directly compared to that of the tigress.
Metaphor
Metaphor is an implicit or indirect comparison between two different things where there is a point of similarity.
Then, when much blood had clogged their chariot-wheels
Here chariot is a metaphor for the devastating and powerful force of war which, as the dead soldier suggests, is going forward strongly now, but its metaphorical wheels will be clogged with blood when there will be excessive violence.
Foreheads of men have bled where no wounds were.
Foreheads of men bleeding without physical wound here suggests psychological burden of war upon soldiers or their family members. It is also an instance of metaphor in the poem.
Personification
Personification is attributing human characteristics to non-human elements.
But mocks the steady running of the hour,
And if it grieves, grieves richlier than here.
Here, the dead soldier talks about beauty mocking the running of time and grieving people. So, Beauty, an abstract idea, is personified here by supplying human-qualities like mocking and grieving.
The pity of war, the pity war distilled.
This too can be taken as a personification where war is personified as the distiller who creates pity.
Oxymoron
Oxymoron is a figure of speech where two opposite or contradictory words are placed together. We find the use of oxymoron in ‘dead smile’ and ‘strange friend’.
Assonance
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in neighbouring words.
With piteous recognition in fixed eyes,
(repetition of ‘i’ sound)
By his dead smile I knew we stood in Hell.
(repetition of ‘I’ sound)
Consonance
It is the repetition of consonant sounds in nearby words.
By his dead smile I knew we stood in Hell.
(repetition of ‘h’, ‘d’, ‘s’ and ‘l’ sounds)
Let us sleep now. . .
(repetition of ‘l’ and ‘s’ sounds)
Alliteration
Alliteration is a kind of consonance where consonant sounds are repeated in the beginning or stressed syllables of nearby words.
After the wildest beauty in the world,
(repetition of ‘w’ sound)
For by my glee might many men have laughed,
(repetition of ‘m’ sound)
Hyperbole
In literature, a hyperbole is an exaggerated statement.
I would have poured my spirit without stint
Here an exaggeration is used to add a more dramatic meaning to the sentence.
Synecdoche
Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which part of something is made to represent the whole and vice-versa.
Yet no blood reached there from the upper ground,
And no guns thumped, or down the flues made moan.
In the above lines, ‘blood’ suggests violence while thumping of ‘guns’ indicates the cacophony or noise of war.
After the wildest beauty in the world,
Which lies not calm in eyes, or braided hair
Here, ‘eyes’ and ‘braided hair’ represent the physical beauty of a person. Part for the whole.
Parallelism
Parallelism is a figure of speech where similar or parallel grammatical structures are repeated to make an emphasis or . Here are a couple of examples from “Strange Meeting” —
And by his smile, I knew that sullen hall,—
By his dead smile I knew we stood in Hell.Courage was mine, and I had mystery;
Wisdom was mine, and I had mastery: