Refugee Blues.

WH Auden

Wystan Hugh Auden September 1973, who published as W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet, born in England, later an American citizen, regarded by many as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. His work is noted for its stylistic and technical achievements, its engagement with moral and political issues, and its variety of tone, form and content.He was born in England in 1907 and moved to Berlin on 1928 for nine months, partly to rebel against English repressiveness in a city where homosexuality was not widely tolerated. In Berlin, he said, he first experienced the political and economic unrest that became one of his central subjects. He went back to England and sailed to New York in January 1939, and when England declared war on Germany (world war 2), he went back to serve his time in the army.

Context Jews have lived in Europe for nearly 2,000 years. Throughout

that time they have frequently experienced racist hostility and persecution. In the 1920s, German Jews began to face such anti-Semitism from the Nazi (Nationalist) political party, led by Adolf Hitler. When he came to power in 1933, he introduced laws which, step by step, deprived German Jews of their human rights; after 1939 the Nazis organised a systematic programme to deprive them of their lives as well. This included forming death squads who, under cover of the Second World War, hunted down Jews (especially in Poland and Russia) in order to kill them.

In the 1930s many German Jews looked for refuge - became refugees - abroad. At first they were received kindly, but as war approached many countries became reluctant to take them, at least in large numbers, and made immigration more difficult.

'Refugee': a person who flees to another country to escape being persecuted for their religion or politics, or to escape war. 'Blues': a slow, sad song, traditionally with 3-line stanzas with 4 beats to each line. The music features 'blue notes': mainly flattened thirds and sevenths. The Blues were first sung by African Americans working on slave plantations in the southern states of the USA; these melancholy ballads expressed the unhappiness of the slaves' lives. Later, Blues became part of the development of popular song and jazz. WH Auden's poem uses many of the characteristics of a blues lyric.'souls': individual people'consul': an official appointed by a country to represent its citizens in another

The theme of this “song” is the abuse of human rights experienced by not only the German Jews but also by the other Jews and refugees anywhere.

Say this city has ten million souls,(A)Some are living in mansions, some are living in holes,(A)Yet there’s no place for us, my dear, yet there’s no place for us. (B)

Being in the city and the economic contrast between people living in mansions, and people living in ‘holes’.

imagery

the troubles faced by the couple.couple

repetition, to further emphasize the plight faced by the couple (there is nowhere to call home for the refugee)

'Once we had a country': now, not only no home, but no country either. In the Jews' case, since the exodus from Palestine in the 1st century, many had, where and when they could, taken the nationality of whichever country they grew up in. From the end of the 19th century many Jews hoped to emigrate to Palestine, but this was not easy: the country was also the home of Arab Palestinians, and Palestine itself had long been run by foreigners. (From 1922 till 1948, the administration of Palestine was British. The State of Israel became a Jewish homeland in 1948.)

The words ‘my dear’ are started to repeat in each stanza, the word ‘my’ tells the reader that the speaker wants his dear one to know that even if no else is there for her, he/she is.

Once we had a country and we thought it fair,(C)Look in the atlas and you’ll find it there(C)We cannot go there now, my dear, we cannot go there now. (D)

the plight of the couple is further illustrated and the main idea is developed.

Nazi occupied Europe, basic beliefs and ideals had to be abandoned such as belonging to a country, and having rights.

The couple does not belong anywhere anymore despite them being part of a country, and the country still being there. This shows the reader how tough the situation was for them, and how there was absolutely no one to help them through it.

despite the couple having a ‘home’, they had no place to go.

The poet also makes their ordeal draw more sympathy from the reader towards the couple by comparing them with plants, which can be cut down as one wishes, but in the end, are still good for everyone.

In the village churchyard there grows an old yew, (E)Every spring it blossoms anew : (E)Old passports cannot do that, my dear, old passports can’t do that. (F)

imageryand is used by the poet to make the reader feel like, in god’s backyard, even a tree can start afresh, but humans cannot. religion.

repetition

makes the reader feel angered, as people are afraid to help the couple, and tell them how they really feel.

Went to a committee, they offered me a chair; (I)Asked me politely to return next year: (I) But where shall we go to-day, my dear, where shall we go to-day? (J)

glimmer of hope to the couple, when they were offered help, however it turns out to be useless to them in their present day situation.

The readers feelings from this stanza onwards really start to mimic those of the persona, and how the poet describes their feelings.

This stanza emphasizes how the majority of people are unwilling to, or scared to help the couple, when the poet talks about how he went to a “public meeting.”

Came to a public meeting ; the speaker got up and said: (G)“If we let them in, they will steal our daily bread”: (G)He was talking of you and me, my dear, he was talking of you and me(H)

emphasizes the present day situation faced by the couple.

People are afraid of the couple, due to ignorance.

creates a sense of an ulterior possibility that the fish are in fact not free and in a delusion, which the speaker may say due to the stress from their own ordeal.

Went down to the harbor and stood upon the quay, (O)Saw the fish swimming as if they were free: (O) Only ten feet away, my dear, only ten feet away. (P)

the couple are trying to escape the country, and start afresh. how animals can be free, and how fish can go

wherever they want

creates a sense of frustration, and the feeling so close yet so far, and the fact that it was so close yet so far may eventually lead to their death.

It also develops the minor theme of Wildlife vs. Humanity.

Walked through a wood, saw the birds in the trees; (Q)They had no politicians and sang at their ease: (Q)They weren’t the human race, my dear, they weren’t the human race. (R)

theme of how the couple are trying to escape, in this case, through the forests.

couple blame them for their situation

Dreamed I saw a building with a thousand floors, (S)A thousand windows and a thousand doors; (S)Not one of them was ours, my dear, not one of them was ours. (T)

Imagery- how many people have houses, and how many people were safe, in contrast to the couple.

Stood on a great plain in the falling snow; (U)Ten thousand soldiers marched to and fro:(U)Looking for you and me, my dear, looking for

you. (V)

A summarization of the whole poem, with the main point being that the couple are being hunted.

This also brings to light the unfairness of the whole situation because although the couple hadn’t committed a crime, they were scapegoats and blamed for all of Germany’s problems suggesting that their religion was their only mistake.