Introduction
Wystan Hugh Auden was an English-born American poet of the 20th century whose themes reflected the English and American social, political and psychological issues. He was also an accomplished playwright. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his book ‘The Age of Anxiety in 1948. In his poem ‘As I walked out one evening’, the poet addresses the psychological aspects of love and relationships in Bristol, England, reflecting how people express love and affection.
The poem shows the poet’s appreciation of life in Bristol by praising love and relationships but criticizing how people express love and the tendency to ignore the transient nature of life and love. Arguably, the poet presents his understanding that love is transient and a subject of the changes in time, yet humans must express love even by making statements that refer to impossible actions. This paper seeks to analyze the poem to support the above thesis. First, the paper presents the poem in simplified words by paraphrasing the original work. It then develops an analysis of the themes involved.
Paraphrasing the poem
The speaker is Bristol, walking down the busy street, probably for leisure. As he walks, he sees crowds of people along the street pavements. They spread out like fields of wheat (Auden 6). As he strolls down the street, he carefully listens to the people’s conversations. He is particularly interested in what they are saying. He hears a man singing for his lover. The speaker says that love does not have an end and that he would love her until “…The continents meet” or the “…River jumps across the mountain…” (Auden 6). He further says that he will love her until the salmon starts singing in the city streets. Moreover, he says that he will express his love for her until the ocean is folded and becomes dry (Auden 8).
In the next stanza, the man continues to say that the years are fast running, but their love will remain relevant because he loves the most beautiful person in the world, whose price and value cannot change with time (Auden 11).
At this point, the poet hears the sound of the clocks in the river. They make a short speech that seems to address the two lovers along the river. The clocks tell the man that he is not wise to say that he can conquer time (Auden 18). They further tell him that deep within the truth, time keeps running and changes everything, including love and lovers. With time, things come and others fade away. The world gets what it is right at the right time. For example, the life of an individual fades with time due to disease and other factors just as snow fills the valleys and rivers, destroying the green colour of the valleys and stopping the moving river.
However, with time, it also fades away and the normal colour of the valleys and the motion of the rivers resume. The clocks tell the man to thrust his hands into the water and contemplate what he misses. They say that the lover should know that time allows everything to happen and end. For example, glaciers and deserts (problems and conflicts) fill human homes. With time, every person walks along a smooth lane that leads from life to death and is controlled by time.
People tend to carry out different activities every day to meet their needs, yet they are on the same path. For example, beggars keep begging while the rich enjoy life, but all of them lead the same path that is under the control of time. The clocks conclude by saying that life is a blessing, but people cannot bless life. Therefore, if a person considers the role of time, he will end up loving other people and not just his lover. At this point, the narrator realizes that time has passed. He realizes that the clocks are quiet and the lovers are no longer in view, but the river continues moving because time allows it to keep moving.
Response
The poem is interesting to the reader. I find it not only interesting but also informative. It shows how people express love by ignoring the crucial role that time plays in their lives. According to humans, love has no ending and reality does not interfere with love. However, humans fail to consider the actual role of time in their lives. Humans persist in absurd and impossible things to express love, yet they are aware that this is not possible. In reality, the act of love cannot make some things happen. For example, such things as the river jumping above the mountain are impossible.
The most interesting aspect of the poem is the speech by the clocks, which represents the poet’s perception of life and reality. As the clocks address the lover man, they attempt to show the reality that humans tend to ignore reality when thinking about love. The clocks cite time as the most important factor that determines life, love and reality. They say that humans cannot conquer time because they are their subjects. Time is the reality.
The clocks depict such issues as fatigue and sickness (deserts and glaciers). According to the clocks, these issues are natural problems that affect people and interfere with love. They cause death and disruption of love, but time continues.
The poet attempts to show that humans find comfort in love. They use love to run away from reality, thinking that love is powerful than everything else, including time. However, humans and their love are under the control of time. Time lets humans live and love each other. However, it also allows other factors such as disease and death to exist to destroy humans and love.
Works Cited
Auden, Wystan. As I Walked Out One Evening: Songs, Ballads, Lullabies, Limericks and Other Light Verse. London, UK: Faber & Faber, 1996. Print.