h the cruel modern world. The goddess Thetis looks for beauty but finds horror. He writes,
“She looked over his shoulder
For vines and olive trees,
………………………
But there on the shining metal
His hands had put instead.”
Here, Hephaestos makes a shield full of violence and death. No glory, no joy, only pain and emptiness. This shows the broken world after war, a perfect image of the twentieth century.
Loss of Faith and Love: Modern life has lost faith and purity. In “Lullaby,” Auden shows love as human, not divine. He joins body and soul equally. He says,
“Soul and body have no bounds.”
Love is not spiritual or eternal. It is physical and temporary. He calls the lover “Mortal” and “Guilty”. This modern view accepts human weakness. There is no romantic dream, only human truth.
Poetry in a World of War and Politics: Auden lived in the age of world wars. His poems carry that pain. In “In Memory of W. B. Yeats,” he writes after Yeats’s death in 1939, the year of World War II. He says,
“In the nightmare of the dark
All the dogs of Europe bark.”
Here, Europe becomes a place of fear and hatred. He speaks of “the seas of pity” that are “locked and frozen.” This is the modern world. It is full of cold hearts and political madness. Auden’s poetry becomes the voice of that world.
Ordinary Life and Indifference: Modern poetry talks about ordinary people. In “Musée des Beaux Arts,” Auden writes about human suffering ignored by others. He describes Brueghel’s painting of Icarus. Icarus falls from the sky, but no one helps him. The farmer keeps working. Auden says,
“The ploughman may have heard the splash, the forsaken cry,
But for him it was not an important failure.”
People no longer care about others’ pain. Everyone is busy with their own life. This everyday indifference is a strong mark of modern times.
Psychological Conflict and Loneliness: Auden’s poems often show man’s inner confusion. In “Petition,” he prays to cure man’s mind and body. He writes,
“Send to us power and light, a sovereign touch
Curing the intolerable neural itch.”
This “neural itch” means modern restlessness and emptiness. People feel sick in heart and mind. Auden shows man as a lonely creature searching for peace in a world without love or faith.
Modern Style and Language: Auden uses modern style, simple, direct, and musical. He writes about science, psychology, and politics in easy words. In “In Praise of Limestone,” he mixes philosophy with beauty. He speaks about the earth, man, and death in a natural tone. His images are modern, his rhythm free, and his feeling human. He joins the personal with the social, the heart with history.
Auden is a true modern voice. His poems speak of war, fear, and broken love. Thetis, Hephaestos, Icarus, Yeats, and the common man live in a world without peace. Through them, Auden shows the soul of the modern age: restless, lonely, and deeply human.
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