Imagine you are the character ‘Death’. Write a diary entry on the evening before you take the character in the poem to ‘Eternity’.
POET PROFILE Name: W. H. Auden (1901–73)
Nationality: British/American Fact:
W. H. stands for Wystan Hugh. While he was born in Britain, he spent his later years living between America and Austria. He died in Vienna.
The poem you are about to read by W. H. Auden (you may remember reading his poem, ‘Epitaph on a Tyrant’) was used to great effect in the popular 1990s film, Four Weddings and a Funeral. Look it up on YouTube to see the very moving scene in which it is used.
Funeral Blues by W. H. Auden
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.
REASON IN RHYME: POETRY
D 311
If you enjoyed reading
a poem about Death as a central character, you might enjoy reading
the novel, The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, which is set in Germany during World War II.
