After the Funeral : Summary

Summary

The poem “After the Funeral” was written by Dylan Thomas in memory of his aunt. Dylan Thomas was a fan of his aunt since childhood and spent a lot of time with her as a boy which is described in the poem Fern Hill. The death of his aunt had a very sorrowful impact on the poet. In his poem Fern Hill, he gives a wonderful description of how he enjoyed life on his aunt’s farm as a child.

It is a mourning poem or elegy. Like all other mourning poems, it also begins with lamentation. He has tried to perpetuate his respect and love for his aunt by composing this poem.

Dylan Thomas wrote in his poem that he could hear sounds from inside his aunt’s coffin that no one else could hear. Even those who sit next to the coffin are not listening. The poet has called them hypocritical mourners. He also says that as his aunt’s coffin is closed, in the same way, the ears of all the hypocrites are also closed, due to which they cannot hear anything. They wear black clothes and come here only to show formality and public mourning.

He taunts those who stand and cry by his aunt’s coffin, saying that they use spittle to bring tears to their eyes and wet their eyes and sleeves with that spittle. Comparing how much his aunt’s death has hurt him, he says it hits his tender heart like a spade. After burying the poet’s aunt, when someone destroys the dry leaves that were covered over the grave, he feels as if his heart is breaking.

He mourned for hours the days he had spent with his aunt in his childhood and the memorable days his aunt had left him, and again and again, he remembered those days left behind. He was so attached to his aunt’s love that he despised the love of all others. According to the poet, his aunt’s love is so deep that if the sun came down in the ocean of that love, the sun itself would have sunk.