Katharine Tynan created this poem. She was born in Clondaklin, Dublin in 1859. Katharine went to school at Dominican Convent of St Catherine. She started writing at a young and wrote all the way up until her late 60s. Katharine and her protestant barrister lived in England before moving to Claremorris, Mayo. Tynan has written over 100 novels, 10 collections of short stories, plays, and more than a dozen books of poetry. Katharine died in 1931.

• The poem "Joining the colours" was written in Dublin on the 13th of August, 1914.

 
Joining the colours

By Katharine Tynan          

 

There they go marching all in step so gay!

Smooth-cheeked and golden, food for shells and guns.

Blithely they go as to a wedding day,

The mothers' sons.

The drab street stares to see them row on row

On the high tram-tops, singing like the lark.

Too careless-gay for courage, singing they go

Into the dark.

With tin whistles, mouth-organs, any noise,

They pipe the way to glory and the grave;

Foolish and young, the gay and golden boys

Love cannot save.

High heart! High courage! The poor girls they kissed

Run with them : they shall kiss no more, alas!

Out of the mist they stepped-into the mist

Singing they pass

 

 

 

 

About the poem:

 

• "Colours" is usually a reference to a flag.
• "Joining the Colours" means joining the military or army.
• This poem is about the first Battalion leaving the Barracks to join the army in France.

       At first I think that its all happiness and that the soldiers are ready for the war. The soldiers lining up almost thinking that they will die. This makes me feel sad and sorrow. Leaving their loved ones and thinking that they will never see them again. When it says that " their mother's sons" and "Foolish and young", that likely means that they are young boys who haven't lived their full life. I think Katharine is talking about motherhood and how heartbroken she would be if her sons went to war.

      I do think that this poem is accurate towards the war. When it says "row on row" I believe it is very accurate because all of the soldiers line up in rows just waiting to get to the first line. And it expresses how many men were in the war. "Singing they go into the dark" I believe is when the soldiers are leaving their families and friends for the war and singing as an encouragement.