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What is the theme of "embassy" by W.H. Auden?

Embassy

As evening fell the day’s oppression lifted:
Far peaks came into focus; it had rained:
Across wide lawns and cultured flowers drifted
The conversation of the highly trained.

Two gardeners watched them pass and priced their shoes:
A chauffeur waited, reading in the drive,
For them to finish their exchange of views;
It seemed a picture of the private life.

Far off, no matter what good they intended,
The armies waited for a verbal error
With all the instruments for causing pain:

And on the issue of their charm depended
A land laid waste, with all its young men slain,
Its women weeping, and its towns in terror.

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Last updated by judy t #197809
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As we often find in many poems, this poem focuses on the theme that men living beautiful lives (such as those who might be in an embassy and who might be the ones negotiating whether or not soldiers are going to fight), can cause a great deal of pain through one verbal error and never know what their lack of tact will cause.