Lullaby Flashcards
Introducing addressee.
“Lay your sleeping head, my love,”
“Lay your sleeping head, my love,”
In the first line of the poem Auden makes it clear who the addressee of his poem is - his lover. There is intimacy in his word choice which allows us to envision how close the two lovers are as they sleep together and provide one another both physical and emotion comfort.
Humanity.
“Living creature” “Mortal”
“Living creature” “Mortal”
Auden makes reference to human life through his word choice here. He recognises that humanity is not immortal and that each life must come to an end, and with that unfortunate predicament whatever love that is experienced within that life will also die, no matter the power or strength of it.
Powerful love.
“Soul and body have no bounds:”
“Soul and body have no bounds:”
This quote deepens the romantic nature that Auden has set in this poem. It enhances the power of this love and how two lovers are so deeply connected that they are actually becoming one together.
God of Love.
“Grave the vision Venus sends
Of supernatural sympathy,”
“Grave the vision Venus sends
Of supernatural sympathy,”
Venus is the God of Love who has blessed this connection and love upon Auden and his lover. Yet, while Venus has bless this union upon them, there are allusions to the morbid end to relationships. This is further emphasises through his word choice in the beginning of the quote.
Survival.
“Among the glaciers and the rocks”
“Among the glaciers and the rocks”
Auden’s imagery here helps us to comprehend the strength of the love between himself and his lover. It shows us that no matter what the conditions are, their love would withstand, even if it is the harsh conditions of the outside world.
Time.
“On the stroke of midnight pass
Like vibrations of a bell,”
“On the stroke of midnight pass
Like vibrations of a bell,”
The passage of time is a big idea portrayed by Auden during this poem and is repeated throughout because Auden knows that there is a definite end to the magic of his relationship with his lover. The ringing of the bell is like a constant reminder to Auden that time is passing and only taking him closer to the end.
Fortunes.
“Dreaded cards foretell,”
“Dreaded cards foretell,”
Tarot cards are symbols of hope and the future, but through Auden’s word choice he turns them into evil fortune telling objects. They don’t tell him what he wishes was reality and instead what he know is going to happen, what is indefinite - his love will end with death.
Sensual.
“Not a whisper, not a thought,
Not a kiss nor look be lost.”
“Not a whisper, not a thought,
Not a kiss nor look be lost.”
Auden’s structure over these two lines and his repetition of “not” emphasises his refusal to let time ruin his love. His word choice here displays sensual wounds just like the acts of a whisper and a kiss and so we can see his efforts to continue the intimacy within the relationship despite his awareness of its indefinite end.
The end.
“Beauty, midnight, vision dies:”
“Beauty, midnight, vision dies:”
This line can have either negative or positive connotations. It can highlight the appreciation of his lover and how even when the lights go out and he cannot see during the night, he knows he lover this person because of their connection. Despite this, Auden’s placement of the word “dies” at the end of the line highlights that even these completely intimate moments will end, not only when life moves on, but when life dies too as they are never to be experienced again.
Enough.
“Find the mortal world enough;”
“Find the mortal world enough;”
This highlights the speaker’s views that their is no life after death and draws attention to the mortality of human life. Auden uses this line to show the value we should place upon love in our lives as it is impermanent and will eventually end with life. The acknowledgement of the fleeting nature of love and life draws further attention to it’s ephemerality.
