Summary

The speaker watches a group of men leaving on their way to join a battle. The onlookers watch them joyfully singing, cheering, and playing noisemakers from the departing tram. The speaker reflects that the men are “foolish and young” (Line 11), unable to understand the danger they face. Young women, the boys’ girlfriends, run after the tram as the boys pass out of sight.

Analysis

“Joining the Colours” opens in medias res, or in the midst of the action. The speaker, a member of the assembled crowd, points to the young soldiers: “There they go marching” (Line 1). This lands the reader immediately in the scene, watching beside the onlookers. The opening is enthusiastic and positive — a celebration. The second line, however, introduces a new tone and hints at the poem’s underlying theme: “Smooth-cheeked and golden, food for shells and guns” (Line 2). The phrase “Smooth-cheeked...