Foliage
A delicate, fragile mist clings to the perplexed and complex limbs of trees;
Small, golden leaves hang motionless as silence envelops each branch;
Stagnant pools on the dirt road mirror the apathetic stars above;
The earth, bathed in moonlight, radiates beauty, while valleys,
Filled with serene shadows and a fog of slumber, lie tranquil.
Yet, on the distant horizon, intense flashes of light burst forth,
The relentless pounding of artillery, entangled in fierce battle,
Resembling ancient, colossal deities of stone ensnared in chaotic strife;
Soon, a missile hums overhead, prompting our artillery
To respond with sharp, thunderous bursts of noise,
Unleashing our projectiles that scream through the air, desperate for destruction,
Racing hungrily for their targets.
And the small golden leaves
Quiver and descend, like fragments and sparks of fire.
About the Poet
This week’s poem is crafted by Frederic Manning, an Australian born in Sydney in 1882, recognized for penning one of the finest novels about World War I. At the outbreak of the war, Manning was 32 and residing in England. He joined the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry in 1915 after several rejections due to his frail health and persistent respiratory issues.
Although he did not pass the officer training, he served valiantly in the 7th Battalion during the notable battles of the Somme and Ancre. His critically acclaimed novel, The Middle Parts of Fortune, was published in 1929 and earned high praise from critics including Ernest Hemingway.
Manning’s direct experience in the trenches profoundly influenced his poetry. His encounters with Ezra Pound, which began around 1909 in London, significantly shaped his poetic style. His collection, Eidola (1917), which includes the poem “Leaves,” is especially compelling, with its title suggesting themes of phantoms or idols, echoing Pound’s influence.
Analysis of “Leaves”
“Leaves” stands out as a prime example of Manning’s adaptation of the imagist style, though it elaborates beyond the typical brevity of imagism. The poem utilizes vivid imagery, with the “little gilt leaves” recurring as a powerful visual motif that captures the essence of the scene with precise detail.
Initially, the leaves appear unremarkable as they dangle in the deceptive calm before the battle. However, the imagery shifts dramatically as the leaves, stirred by the concussive force of heavy artillery, begin to fall in a spectacle resembling flames. This transformation is not merely a natural autumnal event but a direct consequence of warfare, lending the scene a stark and unsettling beauty.
The poem opens with a striking description that pairs the qualities of the mist and the branches effectively, suggesting a kind of mutual comprehension in their shared perplexity under the war’s surreal circumstances. The indifferent stars set the stage for the unfolding drama, highlighting the broader indifference of the universe to human conflicts. The serene moonlit landscape is portrayed with an almost deceptive tranquility, soon to be shattered by the violence of war.
Manning structures “Leaves” as an unrhymed sonnet divided into three parts, with a shift in tone distinctly marked after the initial five lines. The imagery of the second section vividly contrasts with the peaceful opening, using a metaphor of ancient battling gods to describe the ferocity of artillery fire. This section culminates in the menacing rush of projectiles likened to bloodthirsty hounds, straining against the poem’s rhythmic structure as they hurtle through the air.
Manning’s military service ended in early 1918 when he resigned his commission in the Royal Irish Regiment, possibly out of familial loyalty to his Irish heritage. He continued writing across various genres until his death in Hampstead, London, succumbing to the respiratory diseases that had long plagued him.
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Fatima Clarke is a seasoned health reporter who bridges medical science with human stories. She writes with compassion, precision, and a drive to inform.
