One of My Most Favorite Lines in a Poem and Why

"Time will say nothing but I told you so."  I can't stop thinking about that line in Auden's poem "If I could tell you."  This work surprised me in that it evoked an emotion.  It forced me to reread it because I had never thought of time being personified in the way Auden did it.  Here is the poem for your dining pleasure:

Time will say nothing but I told you so
Time only knows the price we have to pay;
If I could tell you I would let you know.

If we should weep when clowns put on their show,
If we should stumble when musicians play,
Time will say nothing but I told you so.

There are no fortunes to be told, although,
Because I love you more than I can say,
If I could tell you I would let you know.

The winds must come from somewhere when they blow,
There must be reasons why the leaves decay;
Time will say nothing but I told you so.

Perhaps the roses really want to grow,
The vision seriously intends to stay;
If I could tell you I would let you know.

Suppose all the lions get up and go,
And all the brooks and soldiers run away;
Will Time say nothing but I told you so?
If I could tell you I would let you know.

I would not believe it if someone told me that didn't make them stop and think.  The web page that I found this poem on had six pages devoted to people's reactions to reading it and you guessed it they all had nothing but positive remarks.  The strangest part was in my research on the poem I found that it was almost named "But I can't," a possible way to complete the actual title, "If I could tell you."

Overall I was very sad that I had to explicate this poem because like with anything else (jokes specifically) deconstruction is a fun sucker (sorry Jacques Derrida).  That's why in my annotation sheet on "If I Could Tell You" my useful critical approach was reader response.  The many comments on the work helped me to understand what others saw in it, thereby helping me pick out the important points.  Thankfully key lines wasn't an issue.  In retrospect before I began contemplating the line "Time will say nothing but I told you so," there were very few lines in poetry that really made me want to think on them about what they really meant.  I applaud Auden for personifying Time and making something similar to song lyrics based around it (nearly a conceit!).  He picked a metaphysical topic and kept my attention longer than the metaphysical poets could.

I can't wait to write about the merit of "If I Could Tell You" in my paper on W.H. Auden.                        

Auden's Very Own Public Service Announcement

Just got done reading through another Auden poem.  I was "hooked" after reading its title: "Cocaine Lil and Morphine Sue."  Already one knows it has something to do with drugs ("Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" comes to mind).  After reading through it I got the impression that Auden had a bone to pick with cocaine and morphine, or addictive drugs in general.  However, the poem must have been written for a bigger purpose, but I thought it was interesting that the work read like a rhythmic public service announcement.  I'm not insulting anything about the poem.  It rhymed nicely and wasn't in a lofty language, which makes it easier to grasp.

The message the poem seemed to convey was pretty simple, but that does not mean a closer reading couldn't bring new insight to the table.  I think the main underlying concept is the impact that addictions have on people.  The common denominator in everything Cocaine Lil did  (and how she looked) was you guessed it snorting cocaine, which is very addictive.  The drug gave Lil some of the best experiences of her life from a social standpoint, but was her downfall just like using any other illicit substance.

Strangely enough as I was reading and rereading the work, the TV show "Breaking Bad" came to mind.  Walter White and Lil both lead lives centered around addictive substances.  An even closer connection would be between Lil and Jesse Pinkman, Walt's friend and co-conspirator.  Even though Jesse does not currently use meth, he was an avid user in the past seasons.  In comparing and contrasting Walt's experiences as a meth cook and Lil's experiences as a user, one sees how on both sides of the drug trade addictions can still be a powerful motivator.  I have not spoiled anything about the show.  As a final note on "Breaking Bad," I consider it great (IMDB gave it a 9.4 out of 10!).

In conclusion, "Cocaine Lil and Morphine Sue" is on the surface a public service announcement, but a closer reading can show that it might be a statement on the impact of addictions and how they can lead ultimately to one's demise.                      

Why Auden? First Thoughts on His Poems

So I decided on W.H. Auden as the poet of discussion for my next several posts.  I wanted to know why Morrie Schwartz, God rest his soul, considered him his favorite poet.  After reading one of Auden's most famous poems "Funeral Blues," I figured Morrie liked the themes of life and death.  "Funeral Blues" could have been one of the poems Morrie liked because it expresses the deep sadness people experience after losing a loved one.  For Mitch Albom, Morrie was his north, south, east, and west.  That was why I chose Auden and I am glad I did because looking at "Funeral Blues" as a statement about death is only the tip of the iceberg.

"Funeral Blues" dues to its rhythmic nature has been used in songs several times and it seems like Auden wanted it set to music.  It rhymes in the standard aa bb like most songs and reads very naturally.  Within this simple setup lies a very profound message about the deep roots of true love.  The deceased person discussed in the poem must have been very important to the speaker if he was the narrator's north, south, east, and west (could describe Romeo!).  Furthermore, the narrator wishes that everything but the kitchen sink cease all activity in order to mourn the loss of the deceased.  This is where the iconic first line "Stop all the clocks" comes from.  That first stanza marks the denial of the truth that the world keeps going after someone dies, which can be problematic.  No matter, Auden shows the actual emotional reaction people have when they learn of a loved one's demise.  The second stanza expands on the ideas of the preceding lines, but instead focuses on the notion that people die every day and very few are recognized by the general public.  What Auden does is show this issue from the mourner's perspective, which is characterized by asking why society does not stop to sympathize.  The speaker discusses what ought to be when the opposite is true in reality.  Filled with grief and sadness, the narrator then goes on in the third stanza to express the gravity of his or her (not specified) love for the dead person.  An interesting thing happens in these lines.  Auden gives away a big portion of the poem's meaning.  In traditional poems (sonnets are a good example) a central message in the last few lines is built up to through the combined efforts of the preceding content.  Finally after the lamenting of the third stanza, the final four lines are a statement of the resulting depression due to the "hole" created by the deceased leaving the speaker's life.

Overall I really enjoyed reading and rereading "Funeral Blues."  Now I get why Morrie considered Auden to be his favorite poet.  He saw in Auden a person who was not afraid to talk about death and dying, which were (and still are to an extent) taboo.  I will be posting more thoughts on Auden's poems as I read them, and hopefully these thoughts don't turn into full-blown explications.