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W.H. Auden: dynamic and deep
Excerpt from “For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio”
Well, so that is that. Now we must dismantle the tree,
Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes –
Some have got broken – and carrying them up to the attic.
The holly and the mistletoe must be taken down and burnt,
And the children got ready for school. There are enough
Left-overs to do, warmed-up, for the rest of the week –
Not that we have much appetite, having drunk such a lot,
Stayed up so late, attempted – quite unsuccessfully –
To love all of our relatives, and in general
Grossly overestimated our powers. Once again
As in previous years we have seen the actual Vision and failed
To do more than entertain it as an agreeable
Possibility, once again we have sent Him away,
Begging though to remain His disobedient servant,
The promising child who cannot keep His word for long.
The Christmas Feast is already a fading memory,
And already the mind begins to be vaguely aware
Of an unpleasant whiff of apprehension at the thought
Of Lent and Good Friday which cannot, after all, now
Be very far off. But, for the time being, here we all are,
Back in the moderate Aristotelian city
Of darning and the Eight-Fifteen, where Euclid’s geometry
And Newton’s mechanics would account for our experience,
And the kitchen table exists because I scrub it.
It seems to have shrunk during the holidays. The streets
Are much narrower than we remembered; we had forgotten
The office was as depressing as this. To those who have seen
The Child, however dimly, however incredulously,
The Time Being is, in a sense, the most trying time of all.
For the innocent children who whispered so excitedly
Outside the locked door where they knew the presents to be
Grew up when it opened. Now, recollecting that moment
We can repress the joy, but the guilt remains conscious;
Remembering the stable where for once in our lives
Everything became a You and nothing was an It.
W.H. Auden
W.H. Auden (1907-1973) was an English poet who moved to the United States in 1939 and became a naturalized citizen in 1946. He is considered one of the most dynamic poets of the 20th century, writing on a vast array of subjects, including politics, religion, love, and art. The dynamism of his poetic skill reflected a similar depth; and Auden was critically praised for the mastery of tone and technique in a variety of forms and styles. Auden wrote his long poem, “For the Time Being,” between 1941 and 1942; it was published in 1944. The poem presents a series of dramatic monologues offered by the characters of Christ’s Nativity with commentary by choruses and a narrator.
Here's something you might be interested in.
W.H. Auden: dynamic and deep
Excerpt from “For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio”
W.H. Auden: dynamic and deep
Excerpt from “For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio”
Well, so that is that. Now we must dismantle the tree,
Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes –
Some have got broken – and carrying them up to the attic.
The holly and the mistletoe must be taken down and burnt,
And the children got ready for school. There are enough
Left-overs to do, warmed-up, for the rest of the week –
Not that we have much appetite, having drunk such a lot,
Stayed up so late, attempted – quite unsuccessfully –
To love all of our relatives, and in general
Grossly overestimated our powers. Once again
As in previous years we have seen the actual Vision and failed
To do more than entertain it as an agreeable
Possibility, once again we have sent Him away,
Begging though to remain His disobedient servant,
The promising child who cannot keep His word for long.
The Christmas Feast is already a fading memory,
And already the mind begins to be vaguely aware
Of an unpleasant whiff of apprehension at the thought
Of Lent and Good Friday which cannot, after all, now
Be very far off. But, for the time being, here we all are,
Back in the moderate Aristotelian city
Of darning and the Eight-Fifteen, where Euclid’s geometry
And Newton’s mechanics would account for our experience,
And the kitchen table exists because I scrub it.
It seems to have shrunk during the holidays. The streets
Are much narrower than we remembered; we had forgotten
The office was as depressing as this. To those who have seen
The Child, however dimly, however incredulously,
The Time Being is, in a sense, the most trying time of all.
For the innocent children who whispered so excitedly
Outside the locked door where they knew the presents to be
Grew up when it opened. Now, recollecting that moment
We can repress the joy, but the guilt remains conscious;
Remembering the stable where for once in our lives
Everything became a You and nothing was an It.
W.H. Auden
W.H. Auden (1907-1973) was an English poet who moved to the United States in 1939 and became a naturalized citizen in 1946. He is considered one of the most dynamic poets of the 20th century, writing on a vast array of subjects, including politics, religion, love, and art. The dynamism of his poetic skill reflected a similar depth; and Auden was critically praised for the mastery of tone and technique in a variety of forms and styles. Auden wrote his long poem, “For the Time Being,” between 1941 and 1942; it was published in 1944. The poem presents a series of dramatic monologues offered by the characters of Christ’s Nativity with commentary by choruses and a narrator.
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