Vocabulary in Strange Meeting

“Parried” is the past tense form of “parry,” which means to make a countermove in warding off a weapon or an attack. “Loath” is a synonym for reluctant or unwilling. The words imply that in defending himself, the sleeper had not fought with anger or hatred in his heart. The idea is supported by the personification of “my hands”; describing them as “loath” imbues them with the human emotion of feeling reluctant or unwilling. A connotation of “cold” supports the personification, as it suggests a lack of fiery passion—the opposite of the connotations of “boil” in a previous line.

Used here as a verb, “trek” means to make a long, very difficult journey, usually on foot. In the context of Owen’s poem, the word is especially appropriate since World War I was fought almost exclusively by troops on the ground, often in hand-to-hand combat. “Progress” refers to making advancements in all things that benefit humankind. Thus, the passage describes nations going to war as reversing course and moving away from the betterment of humanity, a depiction that supports the poem’s anti-war message.

Something that has been distilled has been reduced to its most essential element or essence. War, the sleeper asserts, reduces all that is pitiful about war to its essence: the inability of those who die to speak the truth about it. The assertion supports the poem’s strong anti-war message.

“Richlier,” a word Owen coins, is used here to mean “more richly.” Owen most likely uses it so that the line conforms with the iambic pentameter of the poem.

A flue is an air passage, shaft, or vent of some kind. In context, the word emphasizes that while the battle goes on above, no sounds of the fighting can be heard below, where the speaker has gone.

Meaning riveted or unmoving, “fixed” suggests the intensity of the disturbed sleeper’s stare while also creating an image of death that foreshadows the speaker’s realization regarding where he has arrived.

“Encumbered” means burdened or constrained in some way from acting or moving. “Groaned,” a synonym for “moaned,” suggests pain or suffering. In context, “fast” refers to being firmly fixed or held in place, and “bestirred” is used to mean “roused.” Owen describes the inhabitants of the place where the speaker found himself as being tormented by their dreams or powerless in death. The passage introduces death, a subject which is discussed throughout the poem.

The tunnel through which the speaker escaped was created by “titanic,” or massive, wars in the past. “Granites” refers to a very hard type of rock found in the earth; “groined” calls to mind a groin or groined vault, a construction of self-supporting arches designed to hold up a large expanse of ceiling. The alliteration of the “g” sound in “granites” and “groined” stresses each of the words and draws them together in the line, emphasizing the destructive power of war.