[1508] O Where Are You Going?
Guest poem submitted by Daedalus Athenai, <daedalus_lives@>:
"O where are you going?" said reader to rider,
"That valley is fatal when furnaces burn,
Yonder's the midden whose odours will madden,
That gap is the grave where the tall return."
"O do you imagine," said fearer to farer,
"That dusk will delay on your path to the pass,
Your diligent looking discover the lacking
Your footsteps feel from granite to grass?"
"O what was that bird," said horror to hearer,
"Did you see that shape in the twisted trees?
Behind you swiftly the figure comes softly,
The spot on your skin is a shocking disease."
"Out of this house," said rider to reader,
"Yours never will," said farer to fearer,
"They're looking for you," said hearer to horror,
As he left them there, as he left them there.
-- W. H. Auden
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Commentary: I think this is a beautiful poem, although I don't pretend to
understand it. I just enjoy the rhythm, with its overtones of despair and
hope in the face of despair. The wonderful imagery has inspired me to paint
a series of pictures based on this poem.
~Daedalus
[thomas adds]
Vikram Doctor has a nice mini-essay on the nightmarish qualities of Auden's
mid-30s output, in his commentary on Poem #427 on the Minstrels website.
Other Auden poems on the Minstrels can be found here:
http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/index_poet_A.html#Auden
[this poem is archived, accessible and awaiting your comments at]
http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/1508.html
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From: ab547@
my short introduction: I am an irregular follower of the minstrels but I
love it.
I think its a wonderful poem. Many a time you come across those who even
not dare to dream, forget doing. The poem tells inspires to keep the
insecurities aside, because the reason of living lies there, in the
experience. The reader is able to read today, because rider was there once.
I choose to be a rider, because I am not here for the 'vicarious' life.
-amit batra
From: "Mallika Chellappa" <mchellappa@>
<P>=0A Lovely poem. I think it is about a young man or woman leaving
home to spread his/her wings. The over-protective and sometimes downright unsupportive parents are the reader, fearer, horror.<BR>=0AMallika=0A</P>=0A=0A=0A<br><br>=0A<A target""_blank" HREF""http://clients.rediff.com/signature/track_sig.asp"><IMG SRC""inbox.htm@">http://ads.rediff.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_nx.cgi/www.rediffmail.com/inbox.htm@Bottom" BORDER"0 VSPACE"0 HSPACE"0></a>=0A
From: <nix16@>
I read this poem and it was the rhythm that struck me first, but then I
read it again, trying to wrestle some sort of meaning from it. My
thoughts are these: that Reader, Fearer, and Horror are the people in
our lives, or even the parts of ourselves, that would keep us hidden
away from the world for fear of the undiscovered. I enjoyed this poem,
and had only ever read 'Twelve Songs' by Auden before this. Thanks!
From: ken <k.brown@>
Auden's "Where are you going" is clearly based on the well-known
British & Irish traditional folk song called "Hunting the Wren" or
"The Cutty Wren".
There are dozens of versions, many of which can be found in a few
minutes websearching
The best known starts:
Oh where are you going said Milder to Moulder
Oh we may not tell you said Festel to Fose
We're off to the woods said John the Red Nose
We're off to the woods said John the Red Nose
And what will you do there said Milder to Moulder
We'll shoot the Cutty wren said John the Red Nose
Steeleye Span recorded:
We'll hunt the wren, says Robin to Bobbin,
We'll hunt the wren, says Richard to Robin,
We'll hunt the wren, says Jack of the land,
We'll hunt the wren, says everyone.
Where oh where? says Robin to Bobbin,
Where oh where? says Richard to Robin,
Where oh where? says Jack of the land,
Where oh where? says everyone.
[... lots snipped ...]
Eyes to the blind, [says Robin to Bobbin,]
Legs to the lame, [says Richard to Robin,]
Luck to the poor, [says Jack of the land,]
Bones to the dogs, says everyone.
The wren, the wren is king of the birds
St. Stephen's Day he's caught in the furze
Although he is little his family is great
We pray you, good people to give us a treat.
More recently its been recorded in a somewhat altered version ;-)
by Les Barker (AKA Mrs Ackroyd) some of whose other words can be
found at http://www.mrsackroyd.com/guidecats.htm (he should have
a whole spot on the mailing list to himself!)
Where are you going said Millda to Molda,
Where are you going oh where do you go?
I'm off to the forest said Molda to Millda,
I'm off to the forest all in the deep south.
Why are you going says Millda to Molda,
Why are you going with all of these men?
You nosy old bleeder said Molda to Millda,
You nosy old bleeder we're hunting the wren.
[... many verses snipped ...]
So why hunt the wren then says Millda to Molda,
Why hunt the wren then if its such a small thing?
Its and old pagan custom said Molda to Millda,
And hunting the sausage don't have the same ring .
Where are you going says Millda to Molda,
Where are you going says Millda again.
Off to the Arndale said Molda to Millda,
To open a shop called Kentucky fried wren.
From: "Celine" <celineandcats@>
I find this poem beautiful. It reminds me of a poem named 'Excelsior' by
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.