Now the Leaves Are Falling Fast by W. H. Auden

Now the Leaves Are Falling Fast by W. H. Auden

    Now the leaves are falling fast,

    Nurse's flowers will not last;

    Nurses to the graves are gone,

    And the prams go rolling on.

,

    Whispering neighbours, left and right,

    Pluck us from the real delight;

    And the active hands must freeze

    Lonely on the separate knees.

    Dead in hundreds at the back

    Follow wooden in our track,

    Arms raised stiffly to reprove

    In false attitudes of love.

    Starving through the leafless wood

    Trolls run scolding for their food;

    And the nightingale is dumb,

    And the angel will not come.

    Cold, impossible, ahead

    Lifts the mountain's lovely head

    Whose white waterfall could bless

    Travellers in their last distress.

INTRODUCTION –

"Now the Leaves Are Falling Fast" is a famous poem by the Anglo-American poet, Wystan Hugh Auden. The poem is also widely known as "Autumn Song". It consists of 20 lines which are divide into five quatrains. Each quatrain follows the rhyme scheme of AABB. The poem describes the condition of modern society and how it is degrading with time. It proposes to us about the death of human beings like the falling of leaves. The poem is called Autumn Song because the poet considers autumn as the arrival of old age and the death of humans. The poem is symbolic and has deep meanings.

POET –

Wystan Hugh Auden (21 February 1907 - 29 September 1973) was an Anglo-American poet. He is famous for his poetic works which deal with the theme of politics, morals, love, and religion. His popular works include Consider, In Memory of W. B. Yeats, The Unknown Citizen, Who's Who, etc.

SUMMARY –

In the first stanza, the poet informs us that the autumn season has arrived and we can see its effects on nature. The trees are losing their leaves fastly. Also, the small plants that are present near the root of the big trees have started losing their flowers. Even the plants have withered and dried out. Symbolically, the poet refers to the autumn season as the aging of people. The old age of humans has arrived and their youth and beauty are destroyed. Instead, they are moving forward to their death. The younger generation that was dependant on them is following them as always. So, they too are on the verge of their end.

In the second stanza, the poet continues with his description of death. He says that we are surrounded by the messengers of death on all sides and they are whispering about us. He says that these death messengers have arrived here to take us away from our real happiness which is the happiness of living. Men, too, are tired from this life and are breathing loudly with their hands on different knees. All this explains how men are too exhausted to continue their lives and so death has somehow become inevitable.

In the next stanza, the poet describes a funeral procession. A man after his death is being carried in a wooden coffin and hundreds of people take part in this ceremony. However, they don't do that out of their love and kindness towards the dead. Rather, they do so to present a good image in front of others. The kindness and tears they show are fake. This is just a duty for them to gain recognition from others. All this shows how our world is degrading day by day.

In the next stanza, the poet defines the condition of the present-day society with different symbols. He classifies the evil and degrading aspects of society as trolls. The trolls were limited to a particular place but since they have now lost their food due to the loss of greenery in the forest, they have come out in the open to plague the whole world. Similarly, the evil aspects of society were limited to a particular place but after destroying it completely, they have moved forward to conquer new worlds. The nightingale which is a symbol for the good and virtuous men of the society has turned dumb as they refuse to stand and fight these evils. Further, the angels or the good men who could have saved us will not come forward. They have left us to our state. So, this world is about to be destroyed. No one can save it.

In the last stanza, the poet remembers one last kind of man who is brave and determined as the mountain. They are those people who don't get involved with others but are wells of knowledge and always take a step to help others. Just as the water of the waterfalls from these mountains, helps a traveller by quenching his thirst, similarly these men help other men of the society by solving their problems. But, still, their approach cannot be considered as the best of all.

THEMES –

• The downfall of society - The poet here explains how society has reached the autumn season, the time when all beauty starts decaying. The same can be said for human society. The humans have arrived at their death bed and they are tired. The messengers of death are ready to take them away. The people left are fake and do not care for others, and the evils of society have started conquering it. Overall, we can say that society has met its downfall and it will soon come to an end.

END –

The poem is one of the most famous works of Auden. He has written many other songs but while those are pleasant and joyful, this poem can be considered tragic and dull. The truth of society has been illuminated and no one can fight it. Our society is degrading and we need to find a way to save it. The people who alive today will die tomorrow. This expression suggests that human life is no better than death. The underlying idea in this poem is that death is certain. Like the tree, man also has to meet his end someday.