Audens Poetry: the Relationship between Truth and Lies - Essay Example

O TELL ME TRUTH ABOUT LOVE: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRUTH-TELLING AND ROMANTIC LIES IN AUDEN’S EARLY POETRY by 19 February O Tell Me Truth About Love: The Relationship between Truth-Telling and Romantic Lies in Auden’s Early Poetry Introduction W.H. Auden remains one of the most controversial and least understood poets of the 20th century. His early works of poetry create a sense of continued confusion and leave sufficient room for interpretations. A prominent writer, an extraordinary poet, and a unique personality, Auden was fated to spend most of his life away from his native country, fearing isolation, rejection, and judgment. Auden is considered to be one of the greatest poets of the 20th century: the technical and stylistic features of his poetry, the tone and content of his creative writing turn him into a carrier of new, unique personal vision of reality. However, it is through the earliest works that Auden’s inner world can be better understood. Certainly, a brief essay cannot reflect the overall complexity of Auden’s feelings and emotions, nor can it create a complete picture of his life and its effects on poetry. Auden’s early works reflected the poet’s transition from truth-telling to romantic lies, as a matter of protecting himself from the pains and tortures of the surrounding reality. Throughout his early works, Auden continuously emphasizes that truth is utopian but alive, it is disillusioning and good for nothing – as a result, romantic lies are the best possible medicine to the anarchy of truth in conventional world. A young talented poet, Auden could not use poetry as the main source of his income. At the very beginning of his poetic career, Auden’s life was entirely about getting royalties for his poetic works, individual poems, book reviews, and occasional prizes for his literary achievements (Firchow 2009, p.19). All this seems to have nothing to do with the truth and romantic lies in Auden’s poetry. In reality, however, it is through the lens of Auden’s personal life and career that his gradual transition from truth-telling to romantic lies can be understood in its entirety. As a matter of survival, Auden engaged in teaching, which continuously reflected his own search for his own self. With time, teaching as a form of didactic transfer of knowledge became one of the dominant themes in his poetry (Firchow 2009, p.19). Before that happened, however, Auden was preoccupied with the ideas of psychology and sexology and perceived the process of teaching as a form of healing the psychological and emotional problems in his students (Firchow 2009, p.19). At that time, the poetic life of Auden was at least contradictory. He constantly attempted to remake himself (Firchow 2009, p.20). Auden wanted to fit himself in “a new, truer conception of who he thought he really was” (Firchow 2009, p.21). The striving to fit himself into the truthful reality of being became the definitive feature of his earliest works. At first, Auden perceived himself as the carrier of goodness; with time, however, he disappointedly discovered that his goodness could do nothing to improve the lives and wellbeing of his fellow countrymen (Firchow 2009, p.21). With his commitment to the works of Freud, Auden tried to prove that every person was responsible for the successes and failures in one’s quest for one’s own self: he came to view love as the key motivation for developing and sustaining a unique, personal psychic ideal (Firchow 2009, p.21). A Romantic poet, Auden tried to prove what it meant to love, to be in love, and to be loved, but his earliest concepts of loving were necessarily associated with the love in Freudian terms, in which a person was gratified for letting out and not suppressing their instincts and urges (Firchow 2009, p.22). At that point, truth-telling and nothing but truth-telling exemplified the dominant theme in his writing. Auden searched for but could never find the truth he longed for. He was so much preoccupied with his idea of truth-telling that he did not notice how his truth turned into a new form of poetic rebellion, which did not bring any aesthetic pleasure or emotional satisfaction but resembled a never-ending fight for one’s own self. Hugo (2001) is correct in that truth-telling in the earliest works of Auden was pretty close to the expression of the communist and Marxist ideas, which mounted a lot of concern in the then society (p.6). The mixture of Freudian and Marxist ideas in Auden’s earliest papers turned into a repetitive truth, which was firmly established and did not let anyone to bother it (Hugo 2001, p.6). Truth-telling in the earliest works of Auden created a unique poetic landscape, in which the ideas of ego, superego, and one’s personal identity closely intertwined (Hugo 2001, p.7). Surprisingly or not, the truth-telling allegories in Auden’s papers did not reject but, on the contrary, attracted thousands of readers. The explanation was simple: more often than not, the mixture of Freudian and Marxist ideas in Auden’s works exemplified a wishful ego most readers wanted to see as their own reflection (Hugo 2001, p.8). Those who supported Marx and those who were committed to Freud’s ideas and beliefs could readily see the signs of all those ideas in Auden’s works. The poet was so vague in his allegories and so general and nonspecific in his poetic action that intermittent allegories and truths looked very similar to readers’ commitments and beliefs. Truth in Auden’s earliest papers was the source of likeness between him and his readers, an instrument of concealing and confusing the dramatic differences that existed between the poet and the rest of the conventional reality. He was confident that only through truth telling he would be able to achieve the highest point of poetic self-realization and the climax of his poetic work. In reality, however, the differences between him and the rest of his readers were different to ignore. This is one of the reasons why truth-telling in Auden’s early works looked like a rebellion to the traditions and norms of the conventional reality. In his earliest verses, Auden was increasingly and even persistently concentrated on the concept of Love, which would let him attack the moral inconsistencies and perversions in his own society (Haffenden 1997, p.32). In one of his earliest poems, Look, Stranger, Auden would present his own vision of love, which was not romantic but worked merely as strong instrument of maintaining the stability of social and personal relationships: “the word is love Surely one fearless kiss could cure The million fevers, a stroking bush The insensitive refuse from the burning core” (Auden 1933). Is Auden truthful in his desire to define the concept of love? Yes, he is, and the significance of the love-theme in his poems is difficult to underestimate. However, it is not love in its purely romantic form, which the prevailing majority of Auden’s readers would want to feel in reality. Rather, love is an expression of one’s inner desires and urges, a motivation which supports and pushes men to searching for their own selves. Love in Auden’s poems is an indispensable ingredient of one’s quest for the essence of life, and it is imperative that people feel love inside their souls. Auden is truthful and open in that love must be sincere. Love has nothing to do with shame. It is through love that people can express themselves and their hidden desires. Moreover, once suppressed, these desires will turn against those who suppress them. Auden is open and truthful in his discussion of love as the way to express creativity and satisfying one’s instinctual desires. Love is about letting out the inner pressures, which, if not released, turn into an effective force of self-destruction. All these ideas and beliefs are closely associated and grow from the erotic ideas of Freud, which have always been an object of continued public debate. Apparently, in his earliest works, Auden perceives truth-telling as the only possible way in poetry. Truth dominates his thinking and emotional ideals. Truth is all about love, whereas love is all about truth and self-seeking. He tries to show that most of what humans fail to accomplish in this life is due to the failure to unleash the instinctual demands and use love as the outlet for hidden emotions. Love must be free from hatred and confusion, which debilitate and corrupt human emotionality. In his O Tell Me Truth About Love, Auden, for the first time in his creative career, creates a complete picture of truth-telling and its implications for poetry. This poem can be rightly considered as the starting and turning point in the development of truth-seeking self in Auden. In O Tell Me Truth About Love, truth exemplifies a strong, unifying power, which lacks definition but makes love and self-development virtually impossible. The poem is overfilled with symbols and messages, which only Auden can understand. Simultaneously, it reflects and confirms the search for truth as the definitive feature of one’s poetic reality: “Some say that love’s a little boy And some say it’s a bird, Some say it makes the world go round, And some say that’s absurd, And when I asked the man next-door, Who looked as if he knew, His wife got very cross indeed, And said it wouldn’t do” (Auden 1936). The poem is riddle-life, influenced by the psychoanalytical and private messages which are difficult to understand. His search for love and its definition encounters austerity, hostility, and even rejection. His truthful desire to find out what love means and how it works is persistent and, at times, even irritating – so irritating, that Auden himself seems to be in love. He is extremely rhythmic in his quest for knowledge, and the simplicity of language adds to his “love-oriented” moods. In his poem, Auden compares love to numerous things, from boy and bird, to a pair of pajamas and “the ham in a temperance hotel” (Auden 1936). These regular, intermittent comparisons create a picture of one’s continuous search for truth, which is equally challenging and educating. Auden positions himself as a fighter, whose thesis is clear and whose mission is that of a truth bearer. He encounters opposition and disagreement but does not seem to be discouraged by it. The didacticism of his poetry does not make it sound boring: even the most difficult problems in his quest for oneself Auden can successfully turn into an object of humor: “Does it howl like a hungry Alsatian/ Or boom like a military band?” (Auden 1936). In his poem, Auden creates a persistent impression that nothing can stop him from achieving his “truth” purpose. This form of searching for truth in Auden’s poem is profoundly psychological, influenced by the ideas of Freud. “The maker of these early poems is a psychological maker, immersed in a psychological way of looking at things that can be described as an amalgam of the similarities in those sources mentioned so far” (Hugo 2001, p.12). Undoubtedly, the whole process of psychoanalysis treats the discovery of truth about people as its ultimate purpose. This is, probably, why, Auden continuously tries but fails to identify and understand his own place under the Sun. At this point, however, Auden is gradually approaching the moment when he will grasp the inherent danger of truth and its debilitating nature. The truth is suffocating and killing. It does not carry life but causes moral and spiritual death. Searching for love and truth, Auden finds nothing but disappointment and pain. Society does not approve his truthful urges. He passes a long way to dialectical evolution but has no opportunity to enjoy its results. He votes for releasing the instinctual demands but fails to do so. He finds his instincts and desires stifled by the conventional reality in which he lives. He gradually realizes that truth is somewhere near the very end of the tragic cycle of inconsistencies and failures (Hugo 2001, p.12). With all his instincts and feelings killed by the society, Auden finds himself in the midst of hollowness and moral sickness, which bear heavy consequences on his poetic works. For example, in Look, Stranger!, Auden (1936) speaks about some crooked route which leads nowhere but to a fish’s fathom (Haffenden 1997, p.40). Auden still believes that much of what is happening to his society can be easily removed by curing the numerous psychological ills. However, he lacks confidence that unmasking one’s feelings is the best way toward stability and self-satisfaction. He grows extremely uncertain as for what it takes to be truthful in a conventional society. Although he attributes his society’s moral decay to the destructive tendencies of ambiguity and disguise, he feels that it is through ambiguity and disguise that many of his fellow countrymen can retain their position in the reality, in which they live. It should be noted, that Auden’s search for truth gradually comes to resemble a search for nothing. This can be partially explained by the fact that the poets of romantic moods are fascinated by this search for nothing (Cappeluti 2009, p.345). They are obsessed with internalized quests for something, which cannot be defined, and the more indeterminate the object is, the greater aesthetic value it presents (Cappeluti 2009, p.345). Auden stands at the very center of this indeterminacy, and even his quest for reason and truth cannot reduce the scope of the aesthetic nothingness in his poems. Indeterminacy in Auden’s early works manifests through the ongoing conflict between reason and imagination (Cappeluti 2009, p.345). The latter, eventually, comes to dominate Auden’s poetic consciousness. However, that imagination (and, later, romantic lies) replaces truth-seeking does not mean that Auden becomes less reasonable in his poetic choices. On the contrary, imagination and romantic lie are the poet’s conscious choice and an effective instrument of reducing the pain for being unable to unmask his true identity. The world of standards and norms promotes chaos and tyranny, with which Auden can no longer cope: “In the deserts of the heart / Let the healing fountain start / In the prison of his days / Teach the free man how to praise” (Auden 1939). Auden even applies to Yeats and his poetic talent: he writes an epitaph that reflects his search for self-liberation and freedom of self-expression. His days are a prison, which a free man with a talent like Auden’s cannot escape. As a result, Auden’s poems pose a challenge, which he himself cannot face. Auden is guided by a variety of psychological forces (Hugo 2001, p.15), but truth is no longer self-satisfying. In his poems Rimbaud, Funeral Blues, and September 1, 1939 Auden produces a completely new picture of himself and the world surrounding his heart. He is slowly approaching the point, when romantic lies will heal him from the pain of loss and sorrow in the crowd of deaf, blind, and unfeeling people. Rimbaud is unique in the sense that it reflects the entirety of the moral confusion that burdens Auden throughout his early papers. In this poem, Auden is still committed to art as an instrument of telling the truth, but he can see that this truth is equally dangerous and destructive. As a result, one will find it extremely difficult to believe: “Verse was a special illness of the ear/ Integrity was not enough; that seemed/ The hell of childhood: he must try again. Now, galloping through Africa, he dreamed / of a new self…” (Auden 1938). The poem sounds like a complex fight between truth and reason – yes, exactly, truth and reason, because they are different by now. Truth-telling looks like a product of one’s moral confusion and failure to adjust to the conditions of life in a conventional world. In its turn, reason is essentially about making the right choice, and romantic lies are the best choice the poet in Auden’s situation can make. In a conventional world of pretence and disguise, no one can feel at home. While talented poets like Rimbaud go out of mind, unable to meet the moral demands of the society to which they belong, Auden chooses a different path. He grows conservative and distant from everything that used to burden him. He is disappointed in life, love, and his own failure to find out what all this life is truly about. He is still committed to truth-telling but is no longer willing to use it in his poems. This is how romantic lies express through the thorny words and syllables of Auden’s early works. His Funeral Blues and September 1, 1939 support this thematic line. Auden is lost in the metaphysics of time, and the loss of hope signifies the beginning of the pointless journey into nowhere. Funeral Blues carry significant, profound, but very complex meanings. It would be fair to say that Funeral Blues is a tragic story of the poet’s failure and unbelievable grief, mourning for something he had cherished and loved. It is a grief for love and, also, a grief for the truth. It is the pain of knowing the truth but being unable to cope with it: “He was my North, my South, my East and West, / My working week and my Sunday rest/ My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song; I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong” (Auden 1936). The poem is contradictory and confusing in its dichotomy between what the words express and what they imply. The wording turns Auden’s Funeral Blues into a funeral poem, which says good-bye to a feeling, which will never come back. Simultaneously, the poet calls for letting airplanes circle and traffic policemen wear black gloves, which, apparently, is not possible, unless a serious public event is the object of his grief. The poet’s pain is understandable and logical, but he cannot make everyone around him feel the same. However, pretending that the whole world mourns with him would, certainly give him some kind of relief. Pretending that he sees policemen wearing black gloves and hears the sound of the piano silenced will support the poet, while he is trying to re-assess what happened to him. Romantic lies look like an effective cure to the pain of truth, which Auden experiences and tries to express in Funeral Blues. This truth-lies dichotomy further transcends to reach his September 1, 1939. Completely different from most of his poetic works, September 1, 1939, nevertheless, preserves this sense of ambiguity between what Auden sees and what he wants to see. Auden uses his poem to express his disagreement and disapproval of the political situation in the world just before the beginning of WWII. Here, probably, for the first time in his creative career, Auden tries to criticize the lies by telling the truth. Simultaneously, there is a considerable gap between what Auden proposes to do and what can be accomplished in reality. “I sit in one of the dives / On Fifty-second Street / Uncertain and afraid / As the clever hopes expire / Of a low dishonest decade” (Auden 1939). Undoubtedly, Auden is dissatisfied and even indignant at the lies he constantly hears from his and other governments. He experiences a combination of fear and anger, as well as the odor of death, which is unmentionable but truthful (Auden 1939). Auden tries to persuade the public that the government fools and tries to persuade them that they live an ethical life; however, Auden does not provide any solid arguments to support his subjective claims. Is he telling the truth? No one can say for sure. Whether Auden is lying is also difficult to define. However, when Auden votes for the abolition of all states, with no exception, his truth-telling comes to resemble a romantic lie. Auden claims that his poetic purpose is to undo the romantic lie in a sensual man’s brain. Simultaneously, he himself constantly engages in lying as the way to escape the most painful truth. Throughout his earliest writings, Auden gradually comes to realize that truth can do no good and is a utopia. As a result, it is only through romantic lies that people can cure and deal with the anarchy of truth in conventional world. Conclusion W.H. Auden’s earliest works exemplify and reflect the poet’s transition from truth-telling to romantic lies. Throughout his early works, Auden continuously emphasizes that truth is utopian but alive, it is disillusioning and good for nothing – as a result, romantic lies are the best possible medicine to the anarchy of truth in conventional world. In his early years, truth was the central purpose and the ultimate goal of Auden’s poetic work: Auden sought to accomplish a complex mission but gradually realized the futility of his endeavors. Truth-telling is painful and stifling. Truth is useless and utopian. Auden’s early works, including O Tell Me Truth About Love and Funeral Blues reflect the poet’s inner fight for his own self. Unfortunately, Auden surrenders to the forces of the surrounding reality in which he lives. He suffocates and suffers at the fact that he cannot unmask his inner self. His later works reflect and apply to romantic lies as a matter of living a painless life. Romantic lies in Auden’s poetry are an instrument of escaping the tragic truth. Truth is utopian, and those to tell the truth are destined to spend their lives in isolation. Auden tries to persuade the public that romantic lies are an effective medicine to the anarchy of meanings and norms in the society, to which he belongs. The truth-lies dichotomy transcends his earliest poems and extends to cover his later writings. In the 20th century poetry, Auden reflects poets’ continuous fight for uniqueness and self-realization. Truth for Auden turns into a challenge which he himself cannot face. He gives up his truthful journey for the sake of romantic lies, which must cure him from the ills of truth and love for the rest of his life. References Auden, WH 1933, ‘To a writer on his birthday’, New Verse, [online], accessed from http://www.modernistmagazines.com/media/pdf/267.pdf Auden, WH 1936, ‘Funeral blues’, Poem Hunter, [online], accessed from http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/funeral-blues-2/ Auden, WH 1938, ‘O Tell me truth about love’, Poem Hunter, [online], accessed from http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/o-tell-me-the-truth-about-love/ Auden, WH 1939, ‘September 1, 1939’, Poem Du Jour, [online], accessed from http://www.poemdujour.com/Sept1.1939.html Auden, WH 1940, ‘In memory of W.B. Yeats’, Poets.org, [online], accessed from http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15544 Cappeluti, JA 2009, ‘For the love of nothing: Auden, Keats, and deconstruction’, Philosophy and Literature, vol.33, pp.345-357. Firchow, PE 2009, W.H. Auden: Contexts for poetry, University of Delaware Press. Haffenden, J 1997, W.H. Auden, Routledge. Hugo, S 2001, Auden’s poetry, Taylor & Francis. Read More