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.