Peace
By Frank Oliver Call
Now Peace at last is hovering o'er the world
On silver wings, and golden trumpets blow.
Home from the long crusade the warriors go, —
Victorious knights with banners wide unfurled,
Bow down your head, for these have passed where swirled
Great tides of darkness ebbing too and fro;
Their eyes have seen, 'mid fiery tempests' glow,
How youth at Death its dauntless challenge hurled.
And these are they who saw the Holy Grail,
Brimming with youthful blood like ruddy wine
Poured out in sacrifice. The light divine
Before whose awful glow they did not quail
Now beckons us; and shall our footsteps fail
To follow where they set the blood-stained sign?
November, 1918
Poem Analysis:
Frank Oliver Call’s “Peace” is a sonnet that reflects on the arrival of peace after the devastation of World War I, written in November 1918 — the month when the Armistice was signed. The poem commemorates the sacrifice of young soldiers who fought and died, portraying them as modern-day crusaders and martyrs. Call uses the imagery of knighthood, the Holy Grail, and divine light to elevate their courage and suffering into a sacred narrative. At its heart, the poem is both an expression of gratitude and a call for the living to honor and continue the soldiers’ legacy.
Form and Structure
The poem follows the Petrarchan sonnet form, divided into an octave (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines). The octave describes the return of peace and the heroism of the soldiers, while the sestet shifts the focus to the spiritual and moral obligations of the survivors.
The use of iambic pentameter gives the poem a stately rhythm, mirroring its solemn and reverential subject matter.
“Now Peace at last is hovering o’er the world / On silver wings, and golden trumpets blow.”
Peace is personified as an angelic presence with “silver wings,” heralded by “golden trumpets,” evoking biblical and celestial imagery. The tone is one of relief and reverence, as the world emerges from war’s darkness.
“Home from the long crusade the warriors go, — / Victorious knights with banners wide unfurled.”
The soldiers are compared to knights returning from a “long crusade,” elevating their struggle to a sacred mission. The term “crusade” suggests moral righteousness, aligning their sacrifices with the pursuit of a noble ideal.
“Bow down your head, for these have passed where swirled / Great tides of darkness ebbing to and fro; / Their eyes have seen, 'mid fiery tempests’ glow, / How youth at Death its dauntless challenge hurled.”
These lines highlight the chaos and horror of war — “tides of darkness” and “fiery tempests” — but also the bravery of young soldiers who faced death with unyielding courage. The phrase “dauntless challenge” underscores the heroism of youth confronting mortality.
“And these are they who saw the Holy Grail, / Brimming with youthful blood like ruddy wine / Poured out in sacrifice.”
Here, the Holy Grail becomes a metaphor for the ultimate sacrifice of the soldiers’ lives. The image of blood “like ruddy wine” alludes to Christian symbolism of the Eucharist, equating the soldiers’ deaths with Christ’s redemptive sacrifice.
“The light divine / Before whose awful glow they did not quail / Now beckons us; and shall our footsteps fail / To follow where they set the blood-stained sign?”
The poem closes with a direct challenge to the living: will they honor the example set by the fallen? The “blood-stained sign” is both a literal reminder of sacrifice and a spiritual path toward higher ideals. The tone is solemn but exhortatory, urging moral responsibility in the aftermath of war.
Themes
- Peace and Sacrifice: The poem juxtaposes the serenity of peace with the bloodshed that made it possible. The soldiers’ deaths are depicted as a form of sacred offering.
- Heroism and Chivalry: The soldiers are cast as “victorious knights,” aligning their modern struggle with the medieval ideals of courage, honor, and service.
- Spiritual Transcendence: Through the Holy Grail and “light divine,” the poem frames the war’s suffering within a spiritual context, suggesting that their sacrifice has eternal significance.
- Responsibility of the Living: The final lines remind readers that peace is not simply to be enjoyed but must be honored through actions that uphold the values for which the soldiers fought.
Imagery and Symbolism
- “Silver wings” and “golden trumpets” — Peace is imagined as angelic and divine, suggesting that its arrival is almost miraculous after the horrors of war.
- “Holy Grail” — A symbol of ultimate sacrifice and spiritual quest, linking the soldiers’ deaths to a sacred mission.
- “Blood like ruddy wine” — A powerful Eucharistic image, blending Christian sacrificial themes with the reality of wartime bloodshed.
- “Blood-stained sign” — A stark symbol of the cost of peace and a call to moral action.
Tone
The tone of the poem is reverent, solemn, and exhortatory. While there is relief at the arrival of peace, the emphasis is on remembering and honoring the sacrifices made, rather than celebrating victory in a superficial manner.
Frank Oliver Call’s “Peace” transforms the historical moment of the Armistice of 1918 into a timeless meditation on sacrifice and moral duty. By blending imagery of chivalric heroism with Christian spirituality, the poem elevates the soldiers’ actions to a sacred level, urging the living to live in a way that justifies their sacrifice. The sonnet stands as both a tribute and a reminder that peace is hard-won and demands ongoing responsibility.