Lay Your Sleeping Head My Love Analysis

In his poetry, Auden uses Time to illustrate his emotions and his feelings about life and his society. According to him, Time represents a mysterious and unquestionable force that pulls humans ever since they are born. But Time remains a concept set up by humans, who still have a minimum of power to change the present and the future.

In his poems, Auden often uses Time as a reminder of our human condition : there is an end to life, nothing will last forever. For exemple, in Lay your sleeping head, my love, he opposes youth and beauty to death with 'and the grave / proves the child ephemeral' and 'Time and fevers burn away / Individual beauty'. Time passing is often expressed through imagery : it is sometimes represented by rivers, as in Underneath the abject willow : 'Icy brooks beneath you flowing' ; or by animals, like in Lay your sleeping head my love : 'the years shall run like rabbits'. Hence Time appears to be a natural force we can never interrupt, and which leads to death in every cases. …show more content…
In fact, Auden is himself reminding the reader that everything is fleeting, as he writes in a very negative tone 'you cannot conquer Time'. Time goes by quickly, however Auden is not being completely pessimistic. He often describes one particular moment he is appreciating, as in Lay your sleeping head my love : 'but from this night, not a whisper, not a thought, not a kiss nor to be lost'. He is saying to his readers to take advantage of the Time they are given, and appreciate precious moments of