To C.H.V. – Reviewed
Robert Vernède
What shall I bring to you, wife of mine?
When I come back from the war?
A ribbon your dear brown hair to twine?
A shawl from a Berlin store?
Say, should I choose you some Prussian hack
When the Uhlans we overwhelm?
Shall I bring you a Potsdam goblet back
And the crest from a prince’s helm?
Little you’d care what I laid at your feet.
Ribbon or crest or shawl—
What if I bring you nothing, sweet,
Nor maybe come home at all?
Ah, but you’ll know, Brave Heart, you’ll know
Two things I’ll have kept to send:
Mine honour for which you bade me go
And my love–my love to the end.
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Analysis
“To C.H.V.” is a poem about war, duty, love, and sacrifice, but it is also about the perspective of the person left behind. The soldier writing to his wife acknowledges that he may not return, but even if he does not, he wants her to find comfort in what he leaves behind. His honor and his love are the two things that will endure no matter what happens to him. The poem moves from lighthearted suggestions of gifts to the weight of uncertainty, showing the shift from imagining a future to confronting the possibility of loss.
At first, the poem seems focused on what the soldier will bring back. He lists different kinds of gifts, starting with small, personal things like a ribbon for her hair and moving to extravagant war trophies. These objects are symbols of status and victory, the kinds of things soldiers might collect as proof of their experience. But there is something uneasy about the way he keeps listing them. The gifts feel like a distraction, a way to avoid admitting that he may never have the chance to give her anything again. There is an underlying hesitation in his words, as if he is trying to hold on to a sense of certainty, even as he knows he may not return.
The structure of the poem reflects this shift. The first stanza is filled with questions, each one presenting a different possible gift. This creates a sense of movement, as if the speaker is imagining different futures, picturing himself coming home. The second stanza slows down. He stops asking and starts answering for himself. “Little you’d care what I laid at your feet.” He realizes that none of these things would truly matter to her. A ribbon, a crest, a shawl—none of them could replace what she really wants, which is for him to come home. Then, he directly acknowledges the fear that has been underneath his words the whole time: “What if I bring you nothing, sweet, / Nor maybe come home at all?” The question lingers. There is no answer because there is no certainty.
In the final lines, he turns from uncertainty to something solid. He may not know what will happen, but he knows what he will leave behind. “Ah, but you’ll know, Brave Heart, you’ll know / Two things I’ll have kept to send.” He promises her the things that cannot be lost, even in death: his honor and his love. The phrase “for which you bade me go” suggests that she plays a role in his duty. Her support gives him purpose, and his commitment to honor is not just about country, but about living up to what she believes in. If he dies, she will still have the knowledge that he fought with integrity. If he returns, it will not be the gifts he carries that matter, but the fact that he remained true to himself and to her.
The tone of the poem is both tender and resigned. There is love in the way the speaker addresses his wife, but there is also an understanding of the cost of war. The shift from casual questions about gifts to the weight of what might be his last message makes the poem feel deeply personal. It does not dwell on fear or grief, but rather on the quiet certainty of devotion. The simplicity of the language and the directness of the emotion make it clear and powerful.
“To C.H.V.” is not a poem about the glory of war. It does not describe battle or heroism. Instead, it focuses on what remains when everything else is uncertain. It is about the personal sacrifices made for duty, the things left unsaid, and the love that endures even in the face of possible loss. The soldier knows he may not return, but he wants his wife to have something to hold on to, something that cannot be taken away. Whether he comes back or not, his love and honor will remain.
Photo by Álvaro Serrano on Unsplash
