Revised Clocks and Lovers Prompt

Clocks and Lovers by W.H. Auden

In the poem “Clocks and Lovers” by W. H. Auden, there is a clear and concise difference in the attitude of the clock and that of the lovers. The poem initially starts off with a narrator, whom we assume is the lover, professing his love for another. This gives the presumption that this is going to be a beautiful poem, especially when the lover states that “love has no ending.” Additionally, Auden’s choice of diction when using the phrases, “brimming river” and “salmon sing”, portrays the attitude of the lover to be optimistic. However, as the poem continues, several clocks decide to rebut the words of the lover.

When the clocks speak there is an evident shift in the tone and mood of the poem. It becomes more serious and macabre. The “whirring and chiming” of the clocks provides the image of a slow yet steady paced movement. Also when the clocks says, “In headaches and in worry/ vaguely life leaks away”, it can be taken in two ways. The clocks can be literally talking about life or it can be talking about love however Auden seems to hint towards the idea that they are talking about love since he previously mentioned the idea of “love being eternal.” Since this is the clocks rebuttal against the lover, the clocks seem to be saying that love cannot be eternal because time is the only thing that can be eternal. Lines 23-24, “O let not Time deceive you,/ You cannot conquer Time” support the idea that time is the one that is eternal rather than love. The ideas that Auden provides allows one to conclude that the attitude of the clocks are more “realistic” than the lover. The clocks see things “clearly” and are wiser since they can be considered older than the lovers by way of allusion to Father Time.

The two attitudes, the optimistic one of the lovers and the “realistic” one of the clocks, are clearly depicted and differ in a manner supported by the imagery Auden provides. For example, the lover’s idea that “love has no ending” and the he will “love [her] till China and Africa meet” are clearly optimistic and the clocks’ idea, “O plunge your hands in the water,/ plunge them up to the wrist” shows a realist idea of “waking up” from a dream. The reason for such a drastic contrast is not only to add to the beauty of the poem but to add to the meaning of the poem as well. It shows that love clouds the mind into believing the impossible, the impossible being “endless” love because in the end time will time will remain while something like love will diminish either due to a death or over time.