Sky Blue Poetry
Sky Blue Poetry
O What Is That Sound
By W. H. Auden
O what is that sound which so thrills the ear
Down in the valley drumming, drumming?
Only the scarlet soldiers, dear,
The soldiers coming.
O what is that light I see flashing so clear
Over the distance brightly, brightly?
Only the sun on their weapons, dear,
As they step lightly.
O what are they doing with all that gear,
What are they doing this morning, this morning?
Only their usual maneuvers, dear.
Or perhaps a warning.
O why have they left the road down there,
Why are they suddenly wheeling, wheeling?
Perhaps a change in their orders, dear.
Why are you kneeling?
O haven't they stopped for the doctor's care,
Haven't they reined their horses, their horses?
Why, they are none of them wounded, dear,
None of these forces.
O is it the parson they want, with white hair,
Is it the parson, is it, is it?
No, they are passing his gateway, dear,
Without a visit.
O it must be the farmer who lives so near.
It must be the farmer so cunning, so cunning?
They have passed the farmyard already, dear,
And now they are running.
O where are you going? Stay with me here!
Were the vows you swore deceiving, deceiving?
No, I promised to love you dear,
But I must be leaving.
O it's a broken the lock and splintered the door,
O it's the gate where they're turning, turning;
Their boots are heavy on the floor
And their eyes are burning.
W. H. Auden
(1907-1973) was born in England. He first attracted attention as a poet while a student at Oxford University in England and was recognized as a leading poet of his time while he was still a young man. In 1935 Auden married Erika Mann, daughter of the nevelist Thomas Mann, to provide the British passport she needed to escape from Hitler's Germany. The poem "O What Is That Sound" suggests the predicament of someone less fortunate than Erika Mann.