Comparison: Treatment of War in "The Rank Stench of Those Bodies Haunts Me Still" and "The Soldier" "The rank stench of those bodies haunts me still" is written in alternating seven and six line stanzas. The lines are all pentameters, but there appears to be no rhyme system. Its structure seems less formal than that of "The Soldier". The opening line acts as a shock, bringing images of death and destruction. In only a few words, you seem to be transported to a battlefield. This opening line also serves as the poem's title. I was unable to discover whether the poem was originally untitled