a wife in london

• context: hardy was a novelist/storyteller. poem related to the Boer war, the fact that she is 'a' wife reflects the tragedy of how many lives were lost during many wars
• structure: divided in 2 events/days: the tragedy and the irony. clear rhyme scheme in each verse, creates a sense of inevitability to these tragic events
• "she sits in the tawny vapour" - 'tawny' suggests a dull, foggy London, language is ominous and may indicate the darkness and highlights the tragedy about to happen
• "and of new love that they would learn" - final line highlights the tragedy of his death because they'll never get to rekindle their relationship. Perhaps Hardy left it here because it's more powerful then describing the widow's grief