Funeral Blues - by W.H. Auden

認識 Auden 是從 Four Weddings and a Funeral 開始的。當時被喪禮上的這首詩感動不已。敬佩怎麼會有人能將失去一個人的痛描寫的如此貼切。我想讀過這首詩的人都有相同的感觸。Auden 是眾所皆知的同性戀者，有人說這首詩是獻給他的愛人 Chester Kallman，但是其實不然，因為 Kallman 晚他兩年去世。至今尚未有人確定這首詩是獻給誰的。我想寫的如此深刻感人，的確是會讓人猜想那對象的身分的。

從第一段的生活停擺，到亡者生前對在世者涵義 (You are my North....)，以及失去的空虛，這首詩短短的幾行，道盡失去所愛之人的痛。

Funeral Blues
by W.H. Auden

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead.
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.