2010-06-09

Who’s Who by W. H. Auden

A shilling life will give you all the facts:
How Father beat him, how he ran away,
What were the struggles of his youth, what acts
Made him the greatest figure of his day;
Of how he fought, fished, hunted, worked all night,
Though giddy, climbed new mountains; named a sea;
Some of the last researchers even write
Love made him weep his pints like you and me.

With all his honours on, he sighed for one
Who, say astonished critics, lived at home;
Did little jobs about the house with skill
And nothing else; could whistle; would sit still
Or potter round the garden; answered some
Of his long marvellous letters but kept none.

1 comentario:

  1. by Marco Chaves

    This poem describes what the ordinary person senses in the greatness of other's. It is not about the miss of love and affection as it could be though. Auden depicts the path of this individual who escapes from suffering and pain during his adolescence in order to become an admire man.

    Despite what we can get from the reading, I think that Auden is trying to let the readers know that it does not matter how a strong a man can be, he will have instances of weakness during his life. Therefore, I think that the title of the poem makes reference to this situation where the individual does not know who’s who.

    We cannot tell who is yearning who, and who loves who, but I think that every time you are away from home or lover you have the same feelings. I see this poem as a call of attention to the people that suffers for others without taking care of their own feelings.

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