Gethsemane
Gethsemane - context Summary
Composed Amid World War I
Set in Picardy, the poem transposes the biblical Gethsemane to a World War I battlefield where English soldiers pass, halt, and don gas masks. A repeated refrain—"I prayed my cup might pass"—frames a speaker’s wish to avoid the ordeal of a gas attack, which ultimately occurs. The garden imagery and casual interactions contrast with the grim reality of chemical warfare, capturing resignation and the small human moments amid frontline danger.
Read Complete AnalysesThe Garden called Gethsemane In Picardy it was, And there the people came to see The English soldiers pass. We used to pass -- we used to pass Or halt, as it might be, And ship our masks in case of gas Beyond Gethsemane. The Garden called Gethsemane, It held a pretty lass, But all the time she talked to me I prayed my cup might pass. The officer sat on the chair, The men lay on the grass, And all the time we halted there I prayed my cup might pass. It didn't pass -- it didn't pass -- It didn't pass from me. I drank it when we met the gas Beyond Gethsemane.
1914-18
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