The Poetic Landscape of Illusory Peace
As Europe stood on the precipice of the First World War, Australian poet Frederic Manning captured a moment of deceptive tranquility in his powerful work Leaves. Written against the backdrop of impending conflict, the poem presents a landscape where little gilt leaves are still and quietness holds every bough, creating an atmosphere of illusory peace that would soon be shattered by the guns of battle.
Frederic Manning's War Experience
The author of this remarkable poem, Frederic Manning, was a Sydney-born Australian who had settled in England when war was declared in 1914. Despite suffering from chronic respiratory problems and generally delicate health, the 32-year-old writer persisted through multiple medical rejections before finally enlisting in the King's Shropshire Light Infantry in 1915.
Manning's military career saw him fail an officer training course, yet he went on to serve with distinction in the 7th Battalion, participating in the brutal Battles of the Somme and Ancre. These direct experiences of trench warfare would later inform what many consider one of the finest First World War novels ever published - The Middle Parts of Fortune, released in 1929 and praised by literary giants including Ernest Hemingway.
Imagist Techniques in Leaves
Leaves stands as a compelling example of Manning's adaptation of imagist principles, though it extends beyond the movement's typical spare parameters. The poem functions as an unrhymed experimental sonnet, structured in three balanced sections that mirror the disruption of peace by violence.
The opening stanza establishes a scene of profound stillness, where pools in the muddy road slumber and valleys are brimmed up with quiet shadow. This peaceful imagery is deliberately crafted to emphasize the contrast with what follows - the sudden intrusion of warfare represented by great pulses of light and the hammering of guns.
Manning's poetic technique shows the clear influence of his contact with Ezra Pound, whom he first met in London around 1909. This relationship had a decisive impact on his approach to poetry, evident in the collection Eidola (published in 1917), where Leaves appears as part of what many consider the most compelling section of the book.
The Transformation of Nature in Wartime
Central to the poem's power is the recurring image of the little gilt leaves, which undergo a dramatic transformation as the poem progresses. Initially hanging motionless in the pre-battle calm, they later flicker in falling like waifs and flakes of flame, their descent triggered not by natural autumn processes but by the reverberations of heavy artillery.
This transformation reflects Manning's sophisticated use of imagery to comment on the destructive impact of war on the natural world. The poem's opening line introduces a frail and tenuous mist on baffled and intricate branches, with the word baffled suggesting nature's confusion when confronted with warfare's unnatural violence.
The poem's structure carefully builds toward its powerful conclusion, where the sounds of shells evoke hunting dogs whining and whimpering precipitately as they go hounding through air athirst for blood. This metaphorical language adds layers of meaning to the work, potentially commenting on the English class system and the privilege associated with hunting traditions.
Manning continued his military service until early 1918, eventually resigning his commission as an officer while serving with the Royal Irish Regiment - a posting that may have reflected loyalty to his Irish ancestry. He continued writing in various genres until his death in Hampstead, London, from the respiratory illnesses that had plagued him throughout his life.
Today, Leaves remains a significant work in the canon of First World War literature, offering readers a poignant glimpse into the psychological landscape of soldiers who witnessed both the beauty of nature and the brutality of modern warfare.
