Musee des Baux Arts, By: Auden

Original
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;
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:
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.

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,

First Impression
- The first time I read this poem, Auden was explaining the hardships of the elderly. As the poem progresses, the elderly soon remembers their youth, and in an instant, their youth “transforms” into a boy falling from the sky. Then, the boy starts to drown, which could signify the elderly’s youth disappearing.
Had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.

Paraphrased

In the case of suffering, they were not wrong,
The old master: they understood
Its human position: how it takes place
While someone is eating, walking, or opening a window
How, when the elderly respectfully wait
For their death, there are always
Children who did not ask for this to happen, skating
At the end of the world:
They never forgot
That even a religious-based death must occur
Anyhow in a dirty corner
Where people go on their life, even those less fortunate
leaves their mark in life

For example in Breughel’s Icarus, for instance: how everything goes wrong
Calmly from the disaster; The farmer may
Have heard the cries of the dead
But for him it was not a failure; the sun shines
As it is approaches from the horizon
Water, and a ship worth seeing from a distance
And then something amazing, a spirit coming down,Had somewhere to go and sailed calmly on.

Syntax and Word Choice
- The sentences are long and lengthy. Usually, one entire sentence is one stanza. As for word choice, Auden uses basic words. For some words like especially, Auden replaces it with a word like specially. Furthermore, Auden uses more “old-fashioned” words like ploughman and martyrdom.
Imagery
- Auden alludes to the birth of Jesus by saying “For the miraculous birth, there always must be/Children who did not specially want it to happen.” Another image that Auden uses is Breughel's Icarus, where Auden says, “…In Breughel's Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away/ Quite leisurely from the disaster…” Finally, Auden alludes to the crucifixion of Jesus by saying, “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”
Figurative Language
- There are no notable signs of similes or metaphors.
Tone
- The tone of Musee des Baux Arts is straightforward and monotone. As the poem progress, Auden writes in a more laid back style of writing, just like the ploughman when he saw the boy fall from the sky.
Theme
- The overall theme of Musee des Baux Arts is, humans are naïve when it comes to environmental changes. One example of this theme is when the ploughman goes on with his day, even though the boy fell from the sky.

Conclusion
- At first I thought that the elderly was facing the challenges of being old. However, after analyzing the poem using SWIFTT, I found that Auden is trying to tell humans that sometimes we are completely oblivious to what’s happening around us. Also, this poem can be viewed through many viewpoints, for example: the ploughman and his ignorance to the boy falling from the sky or the feeling of the boy falling from the sky.