Firstly, the story is told through
the use of ballad form, which means the poem is slightly more upbeat. This adds a certain ironic aspect the poem,
as it discusses quite a serious topic (war) yet with a more upbeat tone. Moreover, there is a lot of use of repetition
to tell the story, such as ‘O what is that sound which so thrills the ear’ and
‘O what is that light I see flashing so clear’.
This repetition may be to represent how each day seems the same in war
and life gets very repetitive. The fact
that ‘O’ is repeated so much also gives the idea of a cry for help, or a
lament, showing the soldier’s helplessness.
Enjambment is also a key feature of
the poem, and is used frequently for example: ‘their boots are heavy on the
floor // And their eyes are burning’, possibly used by Auden to symbolise how
time drags on for the soldiers who are fighting in the war. The use of
metaphorical language also sticks out in the poem, such as stanza seven which
contains phrases such as ‘Stay with me here’ and ‘No, I promised to love you,
dear // But I must be leaving’ to represent how the narrator is thinking back
to when he had to leave his wife to come to war, but possible also the
relatives who have had to say goodbye to the men they have lost through war.
Finally, more repetition is used in
each of the stanzas, repeating key words such as ‘drumming’ and ‘horses’. These words are linked to the theme of war,
and may be used by Auden to exaggerate the theme of war throughout the poem,
and keep a serious feel that would contrast to the form that it is written
in.
The conversation between husband and wife is in the present and refers to what's happening in the poem. I can't see how it's metaphorical. Also, consider the effect of the drumming and how it drives the narrative. Does the poem fit in thematically with the other Auden poems?
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