FUNERAL BLUES WH AUDEN Summary The speaker laments the death of someone close to him. The poem tells, in great detail, about the suffering of the speaker after the loss of a loved one. The speaker goes on to express his lament by describing what he sees,

FUNERAL BLUES WH AUDEN Summary The speaker laments the death of someone close to him. The poem tells, in great detail, about the suffering of the speaker after the loss of a loved one. The speaker goes on to express his lament by describing what he sees, hears (or does not hear), and what he thinks should be done to show mourning. It is a poem filled with intense sadness. Every line in stanzas 1 & 2 begin with a command. He wants everyone to share his loss. The final two stanzas are about his own private reaction to it. The poem is written in first person POV: speaker uses ‘I’ and ‘my’ – makes it personal Title A funeral is a public event. Auden wants the world to be aware of this death. Blues – ambiguous. Blue is a colour that we associate with being sad.Blues is an American word for a sad song. The title is a reference to the sadness of the poem and also an elegy (a song of grief). The title “Funeral Blues” sets the sombre tone Stanza 1 Lines 1-2 Stop – commanding tone It is an ancient custom that, as soon as a person dies, all the clocks in the house must be stopped. This signalled the end of time for the deceased. It was also a way in which to mark the exact time at which the person died so that the mourners would be informed when they arrived at the house to mourn the dead. Silence is a strong element throughout the poem—he desperately wishes for silence and for time to stop or stand still to allow him time to mourn. Telephones must be cut off since no further communication is desired. People would phone to find out about the funeral details, etc. He does not want to interact with anyone. He wants total silence and solitude. Dogs, who often bark during play, must be quieted since the speaker does not feel playful. The juicy bone will silence the dog. Page 2 of 5 Lines 3-4 He wants the world to acknowledge this death with respect and absolute silence. Not even the music from a piano can be appreciated. The only sound the speaker wants to hear is the sombre beat of a “muffled” drum as the funeral procession begins. Only after these careful preparations have been completed can the coffin be brought out and the mourners allowed to arrive. The speaker wants focus on the deceased for proper mourning. Stanza 2 Lines 5-6 The capital “H” emphasises the importance of the deceased person. He was very important.Therefore, the poet wants the world to know about this death. Dead is also capitalized, emphasizing the finality of death Scribble is writing that is done very quickly. He wants to the aeroplanes to very quickly announce the death to the world. He does not care if the writing is untidy. He wants everybody to know about the death as quickly as possible. moaning - Onomatopoeia - the sound of the engines of the aeroplane, makes it appear as if even the aeroplane is in torment at the news of the deceased. Lines 7-8 The crepe bows denote that the doves have been decorated in a show of mourning. They are "public doves" because they are the doves or pigeons which frequent the public places like parks or city squares. This emphasises that he wants a public show of grief. black cotton gloves – usually traffic policemen wear white gloves. Back is a sign of mourning. This intensifies the poet’s desire for the public to acknowledge this death. Stanza 3 Lines 9-10 The poet lists of ways in which the deceased belonged to him. This indicatesthat he was everything to him. He was my North, . . . West – he gave the speaker direction and a sense of constancy. Oxymoron – indicates that the deceased represented the whole world to the poet, including all the opposites in the world. Repetition of “my” indicates how important the deceased was to the poet. Page 3 of 5 Contrast “working”/ “rest” – He was an integral part of every moment of the speaker’s daily life. Lines 11-12 my noon, my midnight – he defined the poet’s sense of time my talk, my song– He influenced the speaker’s communication (my talk) and mood (my song). These lines suggest that he was, in fact, the speaker’s life. The final line of this stanza expresses the genuine sorrow the speaker experiences over his loss and points to a growing sense of disillusionment. The speaker had previously believed that love eternal (that love would last for ever) but now admits, “I was wrong.” His beloved has died. This marked the end of love. He has great difficulty in accepting this loss. Stanza 4 Lines 13-14 put out – the poet returns to the earlier commanding/imperative tone. The poet singles out all those things in nature which are symbols of love: the moon, the stars, the sun. With death, however, comes the end of love, and therefore there is no longer any point to the stars. His beloved has died, so too have the moon and the stars (figuratively). He wants them to be replaced by darkness and sorrow. The world would be plunged into total darkness - and that darkness would suit the depressed mood of the poet. Lines 15-16 The ceremony so carefully constructed by the speaker in the first two stanzas does not seem to be enough to express or reflect his intense grief. As a result, the speaker expresses a desire to alter the universe. The ocean and the woods too represent the beauty of nature which is especially appreciated by people in love. He continues to ask for the impossible: all these things must vanish as the poet mourns the loss of his loved one. oceans and wood – represent the land and the sea – he wants it all to disappear. He wants the world to come to an end because his world has ended. Hyperbole – indicates the absolute depths of the poet's sorrow,his intense grief and despair. The use of the colon after forever focuses attention on the idea that when we die, love dies. This creates the sense of the finality of death.He does not believe in the transcendence of love or the possibility of regaining that love after death. Itemphasises the pessimism of the grieving poet. The speaker laments the death of someone close to him. The poem tells, in great detail, about the suffering of the speaker after the loss of a loved one. The speaker goes on to express his lament by describing what he sees, hears (or does not hear), and what he thinks should be done to show mourning. It is a poem filled with intense sadness. Every line in stanzas 1 & 2 begin with a command. He wants everyone to share his loss. The final two stanzas are about his own private reaction to it. The poem is written in first person POV: speaker uses ‘I’ and ‘my’ – makes it personal Title A funeral is a public event. Auden wants the world to be aware of this death. Blues – ambiguous. Blue is a colour that we associate with being sad.Blues is an American word for a sad song. The title is a reference to the sadness of the poem and also an elegy (a song of grief). The title “Funeral Blues” sets the sombre tone Stanza 1 Lines 1-2 Stop – commanding tone It is an ancient custom that, as soon as a person dies, all the clocks in the house must be stopped. This signalled the end of time for the deceased. It was also a way in which to mark the exact time at which the person died so that the mourners would be informed when they arrived at the house to mourn the dead. Silence is a strong element throughout the poem—he desperately wishes for silence and for time to stop or stand still to allow him time to mourn. Telephones must be cut off since no further communication is desired. People would phone to find out about the funeral details, etc. He does not want to interact with anyone. He wants total silence and solitude. Dogs, who often bark during play, must be quieted since the speaker does not feel playful. The juicy bone will silence the dog. Page 2 of 5 Lines 3-4 He wants the world to acknowledge this death with respect and absolute silence. Not even the music from a piano can be appreciated. The only sound the speaker wants to hear is the sombre beat of a “muffled” drum as the funeral procession begins. Only after these careful preparations have been completed can the coffin be brought out and the mourners allowed to arrive. The speaker wants focus on the deceased for proper mourning. Stanza 2 Lines 5-6 The capital “H” emphasises the importance of the deceased person. He was very important.Therefore, the poet wants the world to know about this death. Dead is also capitalized, emphasizing the finality of death Scribble is writing that is done very quickly. He wants to the aeroplanes to very quickly announce the death to the world. He does not care if the writing is untidy. He wants everybody to know about the death as quickly as possible. moaning - Onomatopoeia - the sound of the engines of the aeroplane, makes it appear as if even the aeroplane is in torment at the news of the deceased. Lines 7-8 The crepe bows denote that the doves have been decorated in a show of mourning. They are "public doves" because they are the doves or pigeons which frequent the public places like parks or city squares. This emphasises that he wants a public show of grief. black cotton gloves – usually traffic policemen wear white gloves. Back is a sign of mourning. This intensifies the poet’s desire for the public to acknowledge this death. Stanza 3 Lines 9-10 The poet lists of ways in which the deceased belonged to him. This indicatesthat he was everything to him. He was my North, . . . West – he gave the speaker direction and a sense of constancy. Oxymoron – indicates that the deceased represented the whole world to the poet, including all the opposites in the world. Repetition of “my” indicates how important the deceased was to the poet. Page 3 of 5 Contrast “working”/ “rest” – He was an integral part of every moment of the speaker’s daily life. Lines 11-12 my noon, my midnight – he defined the poet’s sense of time my talk, my song– He influenced the speaker’s communication (my talk) and mood (my song). These lines suggest that he was, in fact, the speaker’s life. The final line of this stanza expresses the genuine sorrow the speaker experiences over his loss and points to a growing sense of disillusionment. The speaker had previously believed that love eternal (that love would last for ever) but now admits, “I was wrong.” His beloved has died. This marked the end of love. He has great difficulty in accepting this loss. Stanza 4 Lines 13-14 put out – the poet returns to the earlier commanding/imperative tone. The poet singles out all those things in nature which are symbols of love: the moon, the stars, the sun. With death, however, comes the end of love, and therefore there is no longer any point to the stars. His beloved has died, so too have the moon and the stars (figuratively). He wants them to be replaced by darkness and sorrow. The world would be plunged into total darkness - and that darkness would suit the depressed mood of the poet. Lines 15-16 The ceremony so carefully constructed by the speaker in the first two stanzas does not seem to be enough to express or reflect his intense grief. As a result, the speaker expresses a desire to alter the universe. The ocean and the woods too represent the beauty of nature which is especially appreciated by people in love. He continues to ask for the impossible: all these things must vanish as the poet mourns the loss of his loved one. oceans and wood – represent the land and the sea – he wants it all to disappear. He wants the world to come to an end because his world has ended. Hyperbole – indicates the absolute depths of the poet's sorrow,his intense grief and despair. The use of the colon after forever focuses attention on the idea that when we die, love dies. This creates the sense of the finality of death.He does not believe in the transcendence of love or the possibility of regaining that love after death. Itemphasises the pessimism of the grieving poet.