my dreams, my works, must wait till after hell

The word “war” never comes up in Brooks's sonnet, yet war remains the central theme as “my dreams, my works, must wait till after hell” is a part of a series of poems about war. Sticking to this specific sonnet, the absence of the word “war” suggests that war is unspeakable or too horrifying to put into words. Of course, before heading off to war, the speaker is articulate and can use words to order the things in his life, like bread and honey. After the soldier tells the things, “Be firm till I return from hell” (Line 4), the speaker pivots to war, and the faculty for precise language disappears.

Hell stands in for war because hell describes a place that defies human understanding. It's a place no living human can bear witness to because it belongs to the mysterious realm of the afterlife. Brooks mixes hell and war to bolster the unfathomable horror of such an experience. It's as if the soldier is heading off into a demonic, nonhuman world. The only word spoken here is “Wait” (Line 7)—a term that highlights the interminable torment of hell. The “puny light” (Line 8) and “devil days” (Line 9) further the dark, satanic picture of war.