A typical scholarly assessment of Sassoon's pre-war poetry is that it is "pale, conventional, cloyingly romantic, and weakly derivative" (Moore Jr. 199). However, certain works in The Old Huntsman and Other Poems layer Sassoon's satirical view of war over his ability to provide the rich sensory details of a landscape. "The Death Bed" is a prime example of this potent combination. The landscapes in Sassoon's war poetry typically include trenches and the bodies of dying soldiers. Though "The Death Bed" does not take place directly in a war zone, it still evokes the horrors of war by showing its consequences.
The vivid sensory descriptions in the poem simultaneously give the sense of a rich inner life, an out-of-body experience, and the haze of an opium-induced sleep. All of the reader's senses are engaged. For example, the silence around the wounded soldier is both "unshaken as the steadfast walls" and "Aqueous like floating rays of amber light" (Lines 2 and 3). This description is tactile and visual: one can feel the steadiness of the wall and see the floating rays of amber light.
In the poem, water appears both in the landscape of the man's mind as well as in his physical environment. Water is a "sky-lit alley" for the man's metaphorical boat, transporting him through different layers of consciousness (Line 12). The rain outside "Gently and slowly [washes] life away," serving as a reflection of the man's "inward, moonless waves of death" (Lines 27 and 6). He also drinks the water provided by a caregiver, showing an instinctual desire to continue living.
The sense of safety created by these beautiful descriptions is shaken by the thudding guns at the end of the poem. Sassoon does not seek to lull readers into a false sense of security with all the beautiful descriptions in the poem. Rather, he engages all the senses and implores readers to care for those around them in need. You never know when "the thudding of the guns" will disrupt the peace of your environment (Line 42).
