Lullaby : Summary
Lullaby is a notable literary work by W. H. Auden. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, to various questions of Lullaby.
Summary
In the “Lullaby” poem, a lover expresses his love to his sleeping beloved Actually, “Lullaby” is a love poem. At the very beginning of the poem, the lover asks his beloved to rest her head in his arms. Then he can think deeply for a minute. He says human beauty is not eternal. Because death will come and end everything. The beauty of his beloved is not perfect. Of course, the lover is not upset. Because there is some beauty in his beloved.
Now the lover is upset. He starts thinking about different things. He begins to think of the Roman goddess Venus. Again he thinks of that monk who had experienced ecstasy. There are the madmen who lament the future. Even after thinking about all this, the lover remembers what happened to his beloved on that beautiful night. He says everyone must die.
Then he looks at the face of his sleeping beloved and speaks to her. He prays that his lover will experience life to the fullest. At the end of the poem, the lover says that he is looking after his beloved himself, not God.