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princess

Member since:
  03 August 2006
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# Question about "Who's Who" by W.H. Auden?

Hello everyone. I am analysing and interpreting the poem Who's Who by Auden at the moment. I am sort of stuck right now. Especially the last two lines about the letters really confuse me. Does anyone have an idea how to interpret those? Also in a greater sense is this sonnet about LOVE? Would that work?
Here is the poem :
A shilling life will give you all the facts:
How Father beat him, how he ran away,
What were the struggles of his youth, what acts
Made him the greatest figure of his day;
Of how he fought, fished, hunted, worked all night,
Though giddy, climbed new mountains; named a sea;
Some of the last researchers even write
Love made him weep his pints like you and me.
With all his honours on, he sighed for one
Who, say astonished critics, lived at home;
Did little jobs about the house with skill
And nothing else; could whistle; would sit still
Or potter round the garden; answered some
Of his long marvellous letters but kept none.
Thank you!

- 4 months ago
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by synopsis

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  18 May 2006
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## Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

The poem is about a very famous person who achieved a great deal with his life (the first eight lines - the octave - deals with this).
The sestet then says that even though is life was so successful he spent his whole life yearning to be with someone who had a quiet homeloving life. The person he 'loved' (the poem carefully avoids saying is this person is a man or a woman, and is just as careful not say what kind of love this was) was kindly towards him, but not all that interested:
answered some
Of his long marvelous letters but kept none.
......
The last two lines are not so very difficult. If someone loved you and kept sending you long adoring letters;- and if in turn you liked them, but didn't exactly love them - wouldn't you sometimes answer their letters but not keep them?
Wouldn't this be exactly the same even if it was your brother, or your son, who was sending you such letters?

- Edited 4 months ago
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