Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message ‘He is Dead’.
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.
He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.
The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.
AI Analysis: Funeral Blues by W. H. Auden
Overview
“Funeral Blues” is a moving elegy written by W. H. Auden. Originally written as a satirical poem, it was later adapted into a serious and heartfelt lament over the death of a loved one. It expresses overwhelming sorrow, love, and hopelessness, using powerful imagery and emotional intensity.
Stanza-by-Stanza Explanation
Stanza 1
“Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone…”
This stanza opens with a demand for silence and stillness. The speaker wants the entire world to pause in response to the death of a loved one. Everyday activities — clocks ticking, phones ringing, dogs barking — suddenly feel intrusive. The imagery evokes a sense of deep personal loss, where even normal sounds are unbearable.
Stanza 2
“Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead…”
Here, the speaker desires the mourning to extend into public and symbolic realms. The idea of airplanes writing “He is Dead” in the sky and doves wearing mourning bows reflects the enormity of the loss. Even policemen should wear black gloves — the death should be recognized by society at large, not just privately.
Stanza 3
“He was my North, my South, my East and West…”
This stanza shifts from public mourning to intimate personal grief. The speaker reveals how much the deceased meant — they were the speaker’s entire world, guiding every moment of every day. The line “I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong” shows a heartbreaking realization that even the deepest love cannot escape death.
Stanza 4
“The stars are not wanted now; put out every one…”
In this final stanza, the speaker expresses total despair. The natural world — stars, moon, sun, ocean, woods — is now meaningless. The grief is so profound that nothing beautiful or natural seems worthwhile anymore. This hyperbolic ending emphasizes the emotional devastation that loss can bring.
Themes
- Grief and Mourning: The central theme; grief here is all-consuming and unbearable.
- Love and Loss: The poem portrays the beloved as the speaker’s whole world. Their absence leaves an emotional void.
- Hopelessness and Despair: After the loss, the speaker feels that life and nature have lost all purpose.
Tone
The tone of Funeral Blues is mournful, solemn, and increasingly hopeless. It begins with somber commands and moves toward deep, emotional despair.
Literary Devices
- Imagery: Vivid pictures like planes in the sky and stars being put out enhance the emotional effect.
- Metaphor: Directions (North, South, etc.) as metaphors for how the deceased structured the speaker’s life.
- Hyperbole: The call to dismantle the sun and pour away the ocean shows the extremity of the speaker’s pain.
- Alliteration & Assonance: Subtle sound patterns add to the musicality of the poem.
Conclusion
Funeral Blues is a masterful expression of grief that captures the emotional paralysis following the death of a loved one. Auden transforms personal pain into universal poetry by blending precise language with raw emotion. It’s a timeless reminder of how love and loss define the human experience.