W.H. Auden's poem "Atlantis" is a meditation on the myth of the lost city of Atlantis, a place that has captured the imaginations of people for centuries. In the poem, Auden reflects on the enduring appeal of this myth and the ways in which it reflects our own desires and fears.
The poem begins with a description of Atlantis as a place of great beauty and wonder, with "marble streets and mansions" and "gardens of delight." It is a place where "all good things were possible," and where people lived in harmony and prosperity. However, despite its apparent perfection, Atlantis is also a place of great danger and uncertainty. The poet speaks of "monsters in the deep" and "dark powers" that lurk beneath the surface of the city.
As the poem progresses, Auden begins to explore the deeper meanings behind the myth of Atlantis. He suggests that the city represents our own desire for a perfect world, a place where all our problems and difficulties are solved and where we can live in peace and happiness. At the same time, however, the dangers and uncertainties of Atlantis reflect our own fears and doubts about the world and our place in it.
Throughout the poem, Auden uses powerful imagery and language to convey the sense of longing and desire that the myth of Atlantis evokes in us. He speaks of the "hidden gold" and "precious stones" that the city holds, and the "bright, untarnishable" dreams that it represents. At the same time, he also explores the darker side of the myth, the fears and doubts that haunt us as we try to imagine a better world.
Ultimately, Auden's "Atlantis" is a complex and thought-provoking meditation on the enduring appeal of myth and the ways in which it reflects our own deepest desires and fears. Whether we see Atlantis as a place of perfect beauty or as a dangerous and uncertain realm, it remains a powerful symbol that speaks to our longing for a better world and the ways in which we try to imagine and create it.
Or, to put the question more precisely, Is it self-sustaining? Should storms, as may well happen, Drive you to anchor a week In some old harbour-city Of Ionia, then speak With her witty scholars, men Who have proved there cannot be Such a place as Atlantis: Learn their logic, but notice How its subtlety betrays Their enormous simple grief; Thus they shall teach you the ways To doubt that you may believe. One of the dominant figures of American culture at that time was. If, later, you run aground Among the headlands of Thrace, Where with torches all night long A naked barbaric race Leaps frenziedly to the sound Of conch and dissonant gong: On that stony savage shore Strip off your clothes and dance, for Unless you are capable Of forgetting completely About Atlantis, you will Never finish your journey. Should storms, as may well happen, Drive you to anchor a week In some old harbour-city Of lonia, then speak With her witty scholars, men Who have proved there cannot be Such a place as Atlantis: Learn their logic, but notice How their subtlety betrays A simple enormous grief; Thus they shall teach you the ways To doubt, that you may believe. Assuming you beach at last Near Atlantis, and begin That terrible trek inland Through squalid woods and frozen Thundras where all are soon lost; If, forsaken then, you stand, Dismissal everywhere, Stone and now, silence and air, O remember the great dead And honour the fate you are, Travelling and tormented, Dialectic and bizarre. And he wonders what will happen to them when he dies. It was on the top floor of a five-story walk-up and it had beautiful molding, dark hardwood floors, and a roof with a tiny view of the Manhattan skyline and the East River.
Stagger onward rejoicing; And even then if, perhaps Having actually got To the last col, you collapse With all Atlantis shining Below you yet you cannot Descend, you should still be proud Even to have been allowed Just to peep at Atlantis In a poetic vision: Give thanks and lie down in peace, Having seen your salvation. If, later, you run aground Among the headlands of Thrace, Where with torches all night long A naked barbaric race Leaps frenziedly to the sound Of conch and dissonant gong: On that stony savage shore Strip off your clothes and dance, for Unless you are capable Of forgetting completely About Atlantis, you will Never finish your journey. BeforeItsNews only exists through ads. Assuming you beach at last Near Atlantis, and begin That terrible trek inland Through squalid woods and frozen Thundras where all are soon lost; If, forsaken then, you stand, Dismissal everywhere, Stone and now, silence and air, O remember the great dead And honour the fate you are, Travelling and tormented, Dialectic and bizarre. Just after the war Auden visited Harvard to read a poem to the Phi Beta Kappa Society. . All the little household gods Have started crying, but say Good-bye now, and put to sea.
Stagger onward rejoicing; And even then if, perhaps Having actually got To the last col, you collapse With all Atlantis gleaming Below you yet you cannot Descend, you should still be proud Just to peep at Atlantis In a poetic vision: Give thanks and lie down in peace, Having seen your salvation. Should storms, as may well happen, Drive you to anchor a week In some old harbour-city Of Ionia, then speak With her witty scholars, men Who have proved there cannot be Such a place as Atlantis: Learn their logic, but notice How its subtlety betrays Their enormous simple grief; Thus they shall teach you the ways To doubt that you may believe. Farewell, my dear, farewell: may Hermes, master of the roads, And the four dwarf Kabiri, Protect and serve you always; And may the Ancient of Days Provide for all you must do His invisible guidance, Lifting up, dear, upon you The light of His countenance. Assuming you beach at last Near Atlantis, and begin That terrible trek inland Through squalid woods and frozen Thundras where all are soon lost; If, forsaken then, you stand, Dismissal everywhere, Stone and now, silence and air, O remember the great dead And honour the fate you are, Travelling and tormented, Dialectic and bizarre. Assuming you beach at last Near Atlantis, and begin That terrible trek inland Through squalid woods and frozen Tundras where all are soon lost; If, forsaken then, you stand, Dismissal everywhere, Stone and snow, silence and air, O remember the great dead And honour the fate you are, Travelling and tormented, Dialectic and bizarre.
That Time W.H. Auden Wrote a Letter to the Microbes on His Skin
Should storms, as may well happen, Drive you to anchor a week In some old harbour-city Of Ionia, then speak With her witty scholars, men Who have proved there cannot be Such a place as Atlantis: Learn their logic, but notice How its subtlety betrays Their enormous simple grief; Thus they shall teach you the ways To doubt that you may believe. Farewell, dear friend, farewell: may Hermes, master of the roads And the four dwarf Kabiri, Protect and serve you always; And may the Ancient of Days Provide for all you must do His invisible guidance, Lifting up, friend, upon you The light of His coumtenance. Stagger onward rejoicing; And even then if, perhaps Having actually got To the last col, you collapse With all Atlantis shining Below you yet you cannot Descend, you should still be proud Even to have been allowed Just to peep at Atlantis In a poetic vision: Give thanks and lie down in peace, Having seen your salvation. All the little household gods Have started crying, but say Good-bye now, and put to sea. Again, should you come to gay Carthage or Corinth, take part In their endless gaiety; And if in some bar a tart, As she strokes your hair, should say "This is Atlantis, dearie," Listen with attentiveness To her life-story: unless You become acquainted now With each refuge that tries to Counterfeit Atlantis, how Will you recognise the true? Farewell, my dear, farewell: may Hermes, master of the roads, And the four dwarf Kabiri, Protect and serve you always; And may the Ancient of Days Provide for all you must do His invisible guidance, Lifting up, dear, upon you The light of His countenance. Being set on the idea Of getting to Atlantis, You have discovered of course Only the Ship of fools is Making the voyage this year As gales of abnormal force Are predicted, and that you Must therefore be ready to Behave absurdly enough To pass for one of The Boys, At least appearing to love Hard liquor, horseplay and noise. Stagger onward rejoicing; And even then if, perhaps Having actually got To the last col, you collapse With all Atlantis shining Below you yet you cannot Descend, you should still be proud Even to have been allowed Just to peep at Atlantis In a poetic vision: Give thanks and lie down in peace, Having seen your salvation.
. I was just dumb enough to pay rent. Should storms, as may well happen, Drive you to anchor a week In some old harbour-city Of Ionia, then speak With her witty scholars, men Who have proved there cannot be Such a place as Atlantis: Learn their logic, but notice How its subtlety betrays Their enormous simple grief; Thus they shall teach you the ways To doubt that you may believe. If later, you run aground Among the headlands of Thrace Where with torches all night long A naked barbaric race Leaps frenziedly to the sound Of conch and dissonant gong; On that stony savage shore Strip off your clothes and dance, for Unless vou are capable Of forgetting completely About Atlantis, you will Never finish your joumey. Farewell, my dear, farewell: may Hermes, master of the roads, And the four dwarf Kabiri, Protect and serve you always; And may the Ancient of Days Provide for all you must do His invisible guidance, Lifting up, dear, upon you The light of His countenance. Being set on the idea Of getting to Atlantis, You have discovered of course Only the Ship of Fools is Making the voyage this year, As gales of abnormal force Are predicted, and that you Must therefore be ready to Behave absurdly enough To pass for one of The Boys, At least appearing to love Hard liquor, horseplay and noise. If, later, you run aground Among the headlands of Thrace, Where with torches all night long A naked barbaric race Leaps frenziedly to the sound Of conch and dissonant gong: On that stony savage shore Strip off your clothes and dance, for Unless you are capable Of forgetting completely About Atlantis, you will Never finish your journey.
