When you see millions of the mouthless dead
Across your dreams in pale battalions go,
Say not soft things as other men have said,
That you’ll remember. For you need not so.
Give them not praise. For, deaf, how should they know
It is not curses heaped on each gashed head?
Nor tears. Their blind eyes see not your tears flow.
Nor honour. It is easy to be dead.
Say only this, “They are dead.” Then add thereto,
“Yet many a better one has died before.”
Then, scanning all the o’ercrowded mass, should you
Perceive one face that you loved heretofore,
It is a spook. None wears the face you knew.
Great death has made all his for evermore. 

Charles Hamilton Sorley 

Literary devices

Imagery

Firstly, imagery gives readers a better understanding of what the poet is experiencing. He starts off “see”ing “millions of mouthless dead”, this portrays the unthinkable number of people who die in the war. This horrifying experience further allows readers to have a better view of the current situation. “gashed” suggests that the injury people in the war has suffered. “For, deaf”, “Nor tears”, “Nor honour”, the poet describes dead people as deaf, without tears due to the fact that war has left these people without a voice to be heard, without the right to love to see the glory of the war. “It is easy to be dead” also emphasizes on the danger and threat of war, what it may bring to the lives of civilians and soldier, and how likely people are going to lose their lives during the war.

Diction

Similar to imagery, diction compliments the poet’s depressing tone in order to effectively convey his message about war. “Mouthless dead” superficially tells readers that dead people are unable to talk, however the truth is that these people have no voice to express their suffering during the war, while their government indifferently sacrifices countless of lives desperately tries to win the war for the sake of their own egos. The word “pale” suggests demoralized soldiers who have realised the atrocity of war, furthermore, it gives readers a feeling that the war is hopeless, instead of glorifying the country. “Give them not praise. For, dead, how should they know”, as people are already dead, survivors should not praise them as they are already dead and deaf. Though victory is sweet, these dead people do not live to see the glory of victory, no matter how much the praise. Futility of fighting a war is thus shown. 

Theme

Death

Impending death is definitely something that people have on their minds as the poet explicitly mentions the massacre of war with words like “million”, “battalions”, “heaped”, “o’ercrowded”, which suggests the shocking number of people who died and suffered in the war. People are expected to face the “Great death” eventually, which is a “spook”, showing people’s trepidation of death and the seeing others die, or even “perceiving one face that you loved heretofore”. The poet portrays the war as a brutal and depressing one by arousing reader’s emotions by imagining seeing their loved ones perishing right before their eyes, thus greatly shows the suffering, death and sadness during war.