If I could tell you so
No one is completely in control of life. This fact was
morbidly overbearing in the wake of world war two when W.H. Auden wrote “If I
Could Tell You So”. Throughout his rigidly structured, Villanesque,19 line poem
Auden voices his discontent with the uncertainty of life, repeatedly writing, “Time will say nothing but I
told you so” effectively casting time as a mocking figure. On an interesting
side note, Auden’s choice to write “If I Could Tell You So” as a rigid
villanelle poem demonstrates a nice conjecture to the uncontrollability of
time. In essence he’s trying to transfer his complete control of poetry to his
overall life. He continues spitefully listing all the ill acts time commits
like taking away our ability to be joyous in comedic situations as seen in the
lines “If we should weep when clowns put on their show” and our ability to
function as we grow old with age “If we should stumble when musicians play”.
“If I Could Tell You So” is Auden’s rebellion against the uncertainty of life.
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