Auden's Lullaby

Lullbye – an Auden's poem that begins with a remarkable set of intimate lines where he asks his gay beloved to rest his head upon his ‘faithless arm’. The mention of this specific adjective ‘faithless’ breaks the barriers of those Byronic verses where the poet never confesses his faithlessness, rather blames the other was the same. Unlike so celebrated Byronic parameters of loyalty and fidelity to one’s love for lifetime, Auden instead celebrated the fecundity of caress.

Being gay in 1930’s was not a simple position to hold. At that time such men used to hide their status to save their social role. Auden instead focuses on this moment and now and claims infidelity to be a construction of institutionalized core. Universal reality includes all disloyalties –as they are not wrong rather a part of humanity.

For him, what matters most is the intensity of passion – right in this moment. It is here that the love should be pure and strong – enough to last despite of numerous other stands. It doesn't matter how many flames a man gets into. What matters is this love – to make him get through.

One prime – most concern of Auden is time and the doings of time. He laments the fact that no matter how beautiful a person is or what kind of fidile/infidile relation he shares, every child meets the end of nature’s care. And there all beauty of childhood gets lost. There the person dies with all sickly frost. So why be obsessed with this idea of stability and permanence. Time changes so do beauty and those feelings immense.

He looks at the lover and prays in his heart- to let just this night – far off from time’s dart. Anyhow, the beauty or even feelings won’t last. But yes, this moment, this love he wants to retain even after his own last.

Usually avant- guarde poems included carnival desires of a poet, where he pleads his lover to stay in the moment and live for the passion rather than bothering about that outside world. Donn’es poem ‘hold your tongue and let me love’ deals with the same emotion. But Auden touches other strings. His is a post – intimacy poem where his emotion is intense and true. He wants good for his loves despite of all his guilt and mortal being. Anyhow notions like guilt are merely the products or constructions of some institutionalized prisonic ring.

He rather believes in the purity of sensations. Here in this moment – here – despite of numerous other affiliations. His next symbol become the roman goddess of love – Venus her name – but actions no more of dove. She rather seems grave to him. maybe still reflecting the mortality of skin. Nevertheless she sends her sympathetic blessings. But the poem has many more dressings.

He incarnates the body of a hermit – far off in some forest fit. The hermit suddenly underwent a sensation. Carnal ecstasy – with his fascination. This might seem misfit – the character of the hermit. But this is reality – this is what Auden wants to hit. And like the loner hermit he too feels lonely at other times. Not many options with his limited choice. But this one night he doesn't want to lose. These moments of love in his lover’s head he wants all fused.

He wishes him well for that outside world. He desires those windy dawns in morning on his curls. And he wants him saved from all the doings of time. Those dry noons, those insulting night’s rhymes.

But it is not god that he relies upon, not even Venus. It is he and his human love with which he wants him covered. His own love and assurance of it in all other times – despite of his intimacy with many other rhymes.

Yet, this one night is too precious to lose. Or think about future possibilities or his character as lose. Those things don’t matter to him much. It is rather the purity of emotion and touch. He wants still to save his lover from all possible issues. Yet he wants him to be satisfied with mortal rues. Maybe he hopes for his lover to not fall for that quest of never answered questions. Maybe , he himself wants to stay far off from such notions.

But here this night is what is precious to him as he has his lover. And doesn't want to lose a single whisper, kiss or love’s shower. So that mild embrace has all his longings and desires. it has his deep most passions – his innermost fires. The ambres of which are scattered everywhere – that society at large lensing his innermost urge.

 Written By - Mystical Wanderer