"Musee Des Beaux Arts" by W. H Auden Analysis K. Bailey (2009)

“Musee des Beaux Arts” by W.
H Auden Analysis
K. Bailey (2009)
W. H. Auden’s ekphrastic poem, “Musee des Beaux Arts” meaning The Museum of Fine Arts,
showcases the indifference with which humans perceive suffering. This title, though fancy, is
quite ironic in that, the subject it outlines does not reflect anything that of which is fine. Auden,
through an unnoticed persona or third person, critically re-captures, with careful poetic dexterity,
Pieter Brueghel’s painting which outlines a farmer, a sailing ship, a shining sun and a drowning
boy. Auden illustrates this same scenario in his poem. After careful observation, he paints a
general picture of how suffering is common – placed to the daily practices of human beings. The
painting done by Brueghel seems to be the inspiration for Auden’s poem.
The poem, written in third person, starts off by giving general views about suffering and how it
happens while humans and animals are carrying on with their day to day routines: “how it takes
place/ while someone else is eating or opening a window or just/ walking dully along/ where the
dogs go on with their doggy life...” (Lines 4, 5, 13). This speaks directly to how universal the
subject of the poem is. Auden gives his personal conviction when he suggests that “The Old
Masters”, written in capital letters, this suggests experts of the past like Brueghel, who is the
only one who knows about and understands the hardship and suffering people face. The persona
also speaks about how nonchalantly children react to suffering as opposed to elderly folks who
await another birth while turning a blind eye to human suffering.
In addition, the second section of the poem moves away from a general commentary to an
analogy, narrowing its focus to “Brueghel’s Icarus”. This further concretizes and exemplifies the
situational irony of how “the plowman”-an ordinary person- and “the expensive delicate ship” –
a symbol of the rich and fortunate- both “may have heard/ must have seen” the fall of Icarus- a
character from Greek Mythology- from the sky to his death, yet no one acknowledges this
misfortune.
Auden’s hypothesis about humans’ universal indifference towards suffering influences his
stylistic composition of the poem. This is evident, as he uses a deductive method of reasoning
where he begins the poem by creating a general hypothesis about the universal nature of
suffering in the first section. Then, he moves from an assumed concept to a specific illustration
in the second section of the poem. In validating his claims, he speaks of the /plowman/, a
representation of the poor, the /expensive... ship/ a symbol of riches, the /torturer/ a
representation of the wicked and the /Children/ a symbol of innocence, to demonstrate that
humans as a whole, whether poor or rich, wicked or innocent have the capability to be indifferent
towards another human’s suffering and hardship.
Consequently, Auden employs a free verse structure in his single speaker discourse where he
avoids a strict adherence to metrical patterns. There are varying line lengths with frequent line
indentations and occasional end rhymes, /wrong/along, /waiting/skating, /course/horse/ and so
forth. This deliberate divergence from a fixed form mirrors the same carefree attitudes humans
exhibit towards the ubiquitous nature of suffering and adversity.
Auden in his lyric manages to subtly critique the mind-set of humans in his choice of diction.
The simple and pleasant words such as “leisurely/ dully/ innocent/ expensive/ delicate and
calmly” parallel more revolting and harsh words such as “suffering/ dreadful/ martyrdom/
torturer’s/ disaster and forsaken”. Interwoven within these contrasting choice of words is a
deeper message, which when examined closely, creates a double layered perspective of
casualness and seriousness to suffering.
Moreover, the choice of diction underscores the pragmatic, casual and conversational tone of the
poem, which is ironic, since the subject of the poem is serious. This in turn influences the
reflective and melancholy mood of which the poem creates. In spite of the misfortune of the boy,
life must go on and so the plowman /turns away / Quite leisurely from the disaster/the sun
shone” and the ship /sailed calmly on. / (Lines 17-18, 20, 24)
In achieving a clear understanding of the subject of the poem, Auden uses powerful figurative
devices: visual imagery, Biblical allusion, situational irony, oxymoron, personification and
pathetic fallacy. Subsequently in using these devices the readers are able to gain a better
understanding of the issue of which Auden speaks. Auden utilizes strong visual imagery at
different intervals, /pond at the edge of the wood/, /some untidy spot/, /white legs disappearing
into the green/, /a boy falling out of the sky/ to create realistic snap shots of the world in which
we live. Auden goes further to highlight the hypocrisy of humans in their reaction to an
extraordinary event such as the elderly who “reverently passionately waiting/For the miraculous
birth”- Biblical allusion to the birth of Jesus- which juxtaposes the ordinary event of the fall of a
boy. This contrasting image of birth and death further speaks to the theme of disregard towards
human suffering and the continuation of life’s cycle.
With this said, situational irony is also evident, in that, the situation present in the poem differs
from what it ought to be. One expects the plowman or the members of the expensive ship to help
the falling boy; however, this is not so. The death of the boy, deems “not and important failure”
is an oxymoron. Then Auden proceeds to personify “the expensive delicate ship” saying it “must
have seen something amazing”. This suggests that even an inanimate object such as a ship, could
have helped the boy since an ordinary farmer- a human- is indifferent towards the boy’s
misfortune: classifying it as an unimportant failure. This lack of concern humans portray is
synonymous with the features nature display. For instance, /dogs go on with their doggy life/
torturer’s horse/ Scratches it’s innocent behind on a tree/ the sun shone/ As it had to.../ This
shows us that the natural occurrences of nature mirrors the carefree attitude of humans towards
adversities.
All in all, Auden magnifies a universal subject that many fail to bring to the forefront. He
explores the boundaries of the human mind-set while subtly critiquing the follies of our world.
Relevant then and relevant today, one recognizes that human suffering does not receive the true
recognition it deserves. Apathy is dead, and sympathy is a high commodity in our day and age.
Since poetry pulls on our emotions and instill feelings of love, hate, disregard and regard in us,
it is only fitting to examine how sensitive we are to others and to our own shortcomings as
humans who occasionally fall both physically and metaphorically.

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“Musee des Beaux Arts” by W.

painting done by Brueghel seems to be the inspiration for Auden’s poem.

await another birth while turning a blind eye to human suffering.

towards another human’s suffering and hardship.

indentations and occasional end rhymes, /wrong/along, /waiting/skating, /course/horse/ and so

exhibit towards the ubiquitous nature of suffering and adversity.

human suffering and the continuation of life’s cycle.

misfortune: classifying it as an unimportant failure. This lack of concern humans portray is

humans who occasionally fall both physically and metaphorically.

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