Write the explanation of the poem entitled "In Memory of W. B

Write the explanation of the poem entitled “In Memory of W. B. Yeats”. (Part-2)

Ans.

EXPLANATIONS

5. Earth, receive an honored guest

William Yeats is laid to rest:

Let the Irish vessel lie

Emptied of its poetry

Time that is intolerant

Of the brave and innocent,

And indifferent in a week

To a beautiful physique,

Worships language and forgives

Everyone by whom it lives;

Pardons cowardice, conceit,

Lays its honors at their feet.

Explanation with Reference to Context- These lines are from W. H. Auden’s poem entitled ‘In Memory of W. B. Yeats’. Yeats, Auden and some other poets of the thirties had formed a group. Auden had great respect for Yeats. Auden wrote this poem on Yeats’ death in January 1939. It is an elegiac poem. However, it is not like usual elegies in which the poet speaks of the whole nature mourning the death of the person. Auden does not idealizes Yeats. He even calls him “silly like us”. He speaks of the great gift that poets have the gift of language. Poet can persuade people to love and have sympathy with others. They can thus make this world happier place to live in. There are three. Sections in this poem. The first section of the poem deals with the actual day of Yeats’ death. It was a frozen wintry day. In the short second section of the poem Auden points out that Yeats was in no way an exceptional individual.

The third section of the poem is the most formal. The same syllable lines of the last section seen by contrast to more formally like a funeral march. The poet points out that after the death of the poet, what remains’ important is the poet’s poetry. His poetry will be read by people in different parts of the world. He will be judged by his poetry read by people of different lands. Just as the ashes of the dead may be scattered far and wide so his poems are read and admired by people of various lands and cultures.

In these lines Auden addresses Earth as a personified being Yeats is dead. Let the earth receive him. He says that Yeats has been laid to rest. The dead body of Yeats has been compared with an Irish vessel which is now empty of its poetry. Yeats is dead. His poetry lives Auden, then, develops the universal significance of the death of Yeats, which is by implication of the death of any poet, if not of any man. Time does not care for anybody, whether he is brave or innocent, beautiful or ugly. Within a week even the most beautiful body dies. Time worships language and forgives everyone by whom it lives. Time does not care for what the poets said but for something about the way they said it. Time pardons cowardice and conceit. However, it honours poets who write beautifully.

Critical Note- The third section of the poem is a comment on the nature of art. The grand third section makes a formal statement. The formal statement, is that time does not care for what the poets said but for the way they said it. Time worships language.

6. Time that with this strange excuse

Pardoned Kipling and his view,

And will pardon Paul Claudel,

Pardons him for writing well.

Explanation with Reference to Context- These lines are from Auden’s poem entitled ‘In Memory of W.B. Yeats. This poem is an elegy. The poet mourns the death of a fellow poet-WB. Yeats. But it is different from the traditional elegies. The poet does not idealize the dead poet. He does not show nature mourning the death of the poet. The poet describes the death of the poet in a matter of fact way. The poet points out that after the death of the poet, what remains important is the poet’s poetry. His poetry will be read by people in different parts of the world. He will be judged by his poetry read by people of different lands. Auden says that time does not care for anyone. In a short-time even a most handsome person is deprived of his body. Time honours only good expression and good language. It does not pay any heed to their defects. The poet says that time is a great leveller. It forgives all weakness and gives permanent fame to poets for their beautiful and forceful language and style. Tune forgives. It has forgiven Kipling. It has pardoned his views. It will forgive the French poet Paul Claudel. It will also pardon him because he wrote good poetry. Time worships language and forgives all other defects. Time will pardon Kipling for being a jingo; it will pardon Caudal for being a built and on the wrong side of the Spanish Civil War. It will pardon cowardice and conceit. Time will pardon Kipling and Caudal because they wrote beautifully. Their way of saying was beautiful. Time cares for it and for nothing else.

Critical Note- In effect Auden is saying that though poets may die, language lives on, and the significance of the life of language is made clear in the final three stanzas.

7. In the nightmare of the dark

All the dogs of Europe bark,

And the living nations wait,

Each sequestered in its hate;

Intellectual disgrace

Stares from every human face.

And the seas of pity lie

Locked and frozen in each eye.

Explanation with Reference to Context- These lines are from section III of Auden’s poem entitled ‘In Memory of W. B. Yeats. Yeats died in January 1939. It was a very difficult time. The countries of Europe suffered from mutual jealousy, hatred and injustice. There was social and political unrest. The poet is very much grieved to think that all the European nations suffer from mutual hatred, jealousy and injustice. They seem to be war-minded. On account of mutual hatred each nation is separated from other nations. Their intellectuals have suffered disgrace. It is clear in every human face. People lack mercy. It seems that the feelings of pity lie deep in their hearts. The time of Yeats death was a terrible one. The whole of Europe was torn into hatred. prejudice and distrust. There was nothing like compassion or pity in the hearts of the people for their fellow-men.

Critical Note- (1) In the nightmare of the dark: The reference is to the terrible years preceding the beginning of the Second World War in 1939. Yeats had died in January 1939.

(2) The dogs of Europe bark- Selfish blood-thirsty leaders of European nations like Germany.

(3) The verse of Section III has suggestions of that of William Blake, a writer Yeats himself fiercely admired and tried to imitate.

(4) Sequestered- cut off from others.

8. Follow, poet, follow right

To the bottom of the night,

With your unconstraining voice

Still persuade us to rejoice;

With the farming of a verse

Make a vineyard of the curse.

Sing of human unsuccess

In a rapture of distress;

In the deserts of the heart

Let the healing fountain start

In the prison of his days

Teach the free man how to praise.

Explanation with Reference to Context- These are the concluding lines of W.H. Auden’s poem entitled ‘In the Memory of WB. Yeats. The poem is an elegy written on the death of Yeats. It is different from the traditional elegy in that it does not idealize the dead poet. Nature is presented as unaffected by the poet’s death. The poem contains two basic, related points (1) a poet’s work ultimately becomes independent of him, because he has no control over the interpretation which posterity will give it: (2) and that therefore it is conditioned by society. Its role in society can be no more than a passive on”. The poet laments the death of W.B. Yeats. Then he describes jealousy, hatred and injustice prevailing among the people at that time. Intellectuals have suffered disgrace.

These concluding lines of the poem is a formal farewell to Yeats. Much of Yeats’s greatest poetry is a record of dissatisfaction and failure, but by its self-criticism and aspiration it has a positive force. Auden wishes us all to learn the same art. So he advices fellow-poets to follow the footsteps of the great poet. That will be the right step in this dark world with its atmosphere of hatred and lack of trust. There is a great need of good poetry because by writing good poetry poets can develop feelings of love and sympathy. The prevailing atmosphere should be changed to a condition of happiness and freedom. Through noble poetry a state of joy and happiness can be established. Noble poetry can give birth to love, kindness and pleasure in spite of the limitations of human life. Their contribution of poetry is the greatest consolation for the death of a poet. With their gift of writing noble poetry poets can turn a curse into a blessing. They can make us rejoice despite the curse of war that threatens to destroy humanity. Yeats’ poetry speaks of many of his failures. But great poetry can make dry hearts, fountains of sympathy so that humanity can be cured of selfishness and lack of sympathy and mutual mistrust. Man today is a prisoner of his own selfishness. He does not trust any one. It is this feeling of mistrust and selfishness which isolates him from others. The poet prays the poets to first free men from the prison of self, and then inspire them to accept and praise their life, despite its many limitations and drawbacks. Thus Auden believes that the poets are the only hopes in these dark times. They can fill men’s hearts with love and sympathy for others. They can teach the essentially free spirit of man to praise, and to be happy even in these difficult and dark times. They can teach men to be unselfish. This can make men to be free and happy. Auden suggests that Yeats’ poetry had this great power a spreading of message of love and sympathy.