There are a few important central images that many of the poems are affixed to: the image of sowing and harvesting is one example. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is another important image in the book. There is a Madonna image in "The Oldest Drama," and their is an ode to the painting "Sic Transit." In a way, these images stand in sharp contrast to the violent brutality of warfare. How could it be that Jesus Christ is sovereign, and yet these difficult things happen in life? The poet answers this by saying, in the fullness of time, we will learn that everything happens for a reason and that although perplexing, we can look forward to an honorable death as a chance to rest and heal before our eternal resurrection.
There are many good reasons to interpret this collection as an attempt to reconcile Christian theology to the trauma and suffering of the world—especially the unexplainable horrors of violence between the nations. But, perhaps the most intriguing commentary on this theme is the poem "Penance," where the speaker is a ghost who was condemned to wander eternally because he murdered his wife and her lover. One interpretation of this poem might be that the ghost represents the failure to trust that all suffering is allowed on purpose. It's a punishment for using suffering as an excuse to do evil.
Interestingly, the timing of these poems authorship (1895-1914) represents the beginning of a shift away from this response to war. Within 20-30 years, due to the gruesome reality of industrialized warfare, most Westerners find that this overtly religious response to suffering is not sufficient, but here it is regardless, an artifact of a bygone era. That doesn't mean that religious themes don't play an important part in Western life, but it does mean that this kind of poetry has become for the most part, outmoded. Perhaps this is what makes the collection's treatment of Christianity so ghostly, haunting, and charming.
