About the poet
W.H. Auden (1907–1973) was a famous poet known for writing about love, politics, religion, and human struggles. He is the receiver of Pulitzer Prize for poetry. He was also elected as the poet Laureate of United States. Auden’s early poems focused on political and social issues, but later, he wrote about deeper topics like faith and life’s big questions.
The original title of this poem is “Musée des Beaux Arts”, written by Auden after visiting Belgium’s Royal Museum of Fine Arts. In the poem, the speaker reflects on various paintings, admiring how they capture humanity’s indifference to suffering. Auden’s tone is thoughtful and conversational. Written in 1938, just before World War II, the poem marks a turning point in Auden’s style and life. He began to move away from his earlier political focus toward a more spiritual perspective. This poem is seen as a transitional work, bridging the complexity of his early poetry with the simplicity of his later works.
The museum Auden visited is renowned for its remarkable collection of Netherlandish paintings. Many critics believe that works such as “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” and other paintings by the Renaissance artist Pieter Brueghel, displayed in the gallery, inspired Auden to write this poem. These artworks, known for their depiction of ordinary life alongside significant events, align with the poem’s theme of humanity’s indifference to suffering.
Line by Line Analysis
About suffering they were never wrong, The Old Masters: how well they understood Its human position; how it takes place While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along;
While walking through a gallery filled with works by famous painters, the speaker observes that these artists often depict suffering—particularly humanity’s indifference to the suffering of others. He talks about the wisdom of the Old Masters, the great artists of the past. The Old Masters recognized that suffering is a natural, inevitable part of life, often occurring quietly and unnoticed amidst the ordinary routines of others. The poem references a painting by Pieter Brueghel, noting how suffering unfolds quietly amidst ordinary life. People are shown eating, opening windows, or walking, all unaware or uninterested in a significant event happening nearby. The painting that he might be watching is The Census at Bethlehem by Brueghel. These people are doing all these ordinary things while a pregnant Mary and Joseph arrive that place.
How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting For the miraculous birth, there always must be Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating On a pond at the edge of the wood:
In the painting, the older people eagerly await the birth of Christ, an event central to Christianity. However, the younger people, such as children playing games and skating on a pond near the woods, are indifferent to the significance of this moment. This contrast highlights how even during monumental events, some individuals remain detached or uninterested, absorbed in their own lives. It underscores the theme of human indifference to events of great importance to others.
They never forgot That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the torturer's horse Scratches its innocent behind on a tree.
The speaker then refers to another painting, possibly Brueghel’s “Massacre of the Innocents”. The artist portrays violence and chaos occurring in a secluded area, yet life continues uninterrupted around it. This painting depicts the killing of the first Christian martyrs. While these horrific events unfold, the animals in the scene remain unaffected—dogs carry on with their usual activities, and a soldier’s horse casually scratches its back on a tree. These details emphasize the obliviousness of nature and animals to human suffering, highlighting the disconnect between individual tragedies and the indifference of the surrounding world.
In Breughel's Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry, But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green Water; and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky, had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on
The speaker references “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” by Pieter Brueghel, a painting that portrays the mythological fall of Icarus. Icarus, the son of a master craftsman, was given wax wings by his father, who warned him not to fly too close to the sun. Ignoring the warning, Icarus flew too high, causing his wings to melt. He fell into the sea, drowning. However, in Brueghel’s painting, this tragic moment is not the central focus.
The depiction of Icarus’s fall is so subtle that it can be easily overlooked. The painting highlights the indifference of the people witnessing the event. A farmer driving a plough might have heard Icarus’s cries as he fell, but it held no significance for him. Life continues—work must be done. The sun shines as usual, indifferent to the tragedy. The speaker draws attention to Icarus’s pale legs disappearing into the green water. A nearby luxurious ship, likely a witness to the fall, does not pause its journey. This detail underscores the theme of human indifference to suffering, as the ship sails smoothly onward, focused on its own destination. The painting symbolizes how even monumental events can be ignored in the broader flow of everyday life.
