The poem gives each of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (war, death, famine and pestilence) its own short section, and presents them as figures with a strange, almost beautiful presence. War is graceful but cutting, with a gentle laugh that turns into a hiss and arms full of "the fruit of war." Death is a soft, truthful guide, linked to autumn leaves falling and a phoenix crumbling to ash. Famine is hollow-eyed and dressed in white, sweeping crops away with frost. Pestilence is a body turned into a weapon, whose wounds spread seeds of more hunger.
The speaker seems fascinated and sorrowful rather than angry. The calm, tender wording ("gentle," "caress," "swan song") sits uneasily beside images of blood, ash and decay, which creates a hushed, eerie mood. The title "Squire" hints that the speaker may see these figures as attendants to something larger, though the poem doesn't spell this out. The overall feeling is grief for what could have been.