The Complete Works of W. H. Auden: Plays and Other Dramatic Writings, 1928–1938. Princeton University Press.
What is the rhyme scheme of the poem Funeral Blues?
“Funeral Blues” is written in quatrains, and it does make use of iambic pentameter, but it’s highly irregular in its meter, with extra syllables here and unsteady feet there. And the rhyme scheme is adjusted a bit, too: AABB instead of ABAB. Auden is using heroic couplets instead of alternating rhymes.
What is the hyperbole in Funeral Blues?
The first stanza of W. H. Auden’s “Funeral Blues” contains a number of hyperbolic, or exaggerated, requests for silence. The speaker exaggerates because he asks that all clocks be stopped, all telephones turned off, no dogs bark, no pianos played, and that the drum that is to mark the funeral procession be muffled.
When was Funeral Blues published?
1938
Funeral Blues/Date written
“Funeral Blues” (1938), also known by its first line, “Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone”, is a song of 16 lines by W. H. Auden, published under this title in 1940, although it is adapted from an earlier dramatic song of Auden’s from his and Christopher Isherwood’s play The Ascent of F6 (published 1936.
Why did WH Auden write Stop all the clocks?
Curiously, ‘Stop All the Clocks’ began life as a piece of burlesque sending up blues lyrics of the 1930s: Auden originally wrote it for a play he was collaborating on with Christopher Isherwood, The Ascent of F6 (1936), which wasn’t entirely serious (although it was billed as a tragedy).
Is Funeral Blues a lyrical poem?
D. Auden actually wrote “Funeral Blues”—or at least, the more widely-known second edition, from 1938—to be sung to music. As such, it is most certainly a lyrical poem, not least because it is actually the lyrics to a piece of musical accompaniment by British composer Benjamin Britten.
Why do policemen wear black cotton gloves?
In the last line of the second verse, she states “Let the policemen wear black cotton gloves.” We know that black is a symbol of death; we also know that policemen wear white cotton gloves at a funeral. This gives us the first insight that the woman is speaking of the death of love, rather then an actual death.
Where is Auden buried?
Kirchstetten
Wystan Hugh Auden was buried here today in the little Roman Catholic churchyard in the village of Kirchstetten, where he had spent the last 16 summers of his life.
Who wrote The Road Not Taken?
Robert Frost
The Road Not Taken/Authors
The Road Not Taken, poem by Robert Frost, published in The Atlantic Monthly in August 1915 and used as the opening poem of his collection Mountain Interval (1916). Written in iambic tetrameter, it employs an abaab rhyme scheme in each of its four stanzas.
When was the poem Funeral Blues written?
” Funeral Blues ” or ” Stop all the clocks ” is a poem by W. H. Auden. An early version was published in 1936, but the poem in its final, familiar form was first published in The Year’s Poetry (London, 1938).
How many versions of Funeral Blues are there?
Both versions were set to music by the composer Benjamin Britten. The second version was first published in 1938 and was titled “Funeral Blues” in Auden’s 1940 Another Time. The poem experienced renewed popularity after being read in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), which also led to increased attention on Auden’s other work.
What is the first line of Funeral Blues by Auden?
Auden’s poem “Funeral Blues” is better known by its first line, “Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,” and perhaps for good reason. As he did with many of his poems over the course of his career, Auden made several changes to the language of “Funeral Blues” as he prepared it for republication.
Why do Americans love “Funeral Blues”?
Americans have also shown an increased interest in the author. Filmgoers and readers responded to “Funeral Blues’” heartfelt expression of grief over the death of a loved one. The poem expresses a rhythmical, intimate portrait of the totality of love and the devastating consequences of its absence.
