Gurney describes a landscape at the end of a day when the guns have fallen silent. The speaker stands among fields and tall elms, watching the last light move through the branches, and feels not relief exactly but a deep, quiet blessing. The absence of war is almost tangible: “The guns are dumb, are still / All evil noises.” Yet this peace is not simple contentment. The speaker rejoices softly, but remains unsatisfied — hungry and thirsty for something beauty alone cannot fully give. The mood is calm, sacred, and slightly eerie. As daylight fades and mist gathers, the speaker senses the presence of a dead friend. The poem becomes a quiet meeting between the living, the natural world, and the beloved dead.
Communion — Summary
Beauty lies so deep On all the fields, Nothing for the eyes But blessing yields. Tall elms, greedy of light, Stand tip-toe. See The last light linger in Their tracery. The guns are dumb, are still All evil noises. The singing heart in peace Softly rejoices, Only unsatisfied With Beauty’s hunger And sacramental thirst-- Nothing of anger. Mist wraiths haunt the path As daylight lessens, The stars grow clearer, and My dead friend’s presence.