O WHAT IS THAT SOUND

O WHAT IS THAT SOUND

                                                                                    -W.H.Auden

            The poem O What is that Sound was written in 1934.  When people were under the constant threat of war, Auden portrays the conversation of two lovers who watch an approaching column of soldiers.

            The girl, innocent and naïve, is full of anxiety and fear because the soldiers are coming.  She asks her lover that what the sound they hear is.  He replies that the soldiers are coming.  Then she asks him that what the light they see is.  He then answers that it is the reflection of the sun light on their weapons.

            The girl’s heart is trembled with fear when she asks him that what they are doing and he says that they are undergoing their usual training exercises with those equipments.  She further inquires him about the soldier’s sudden change of direction.  He convinces her by saying that there may be change in their orders.

            The girl expresses her doubts continuously and here lover replies patiently.  She doubts that whether they need medical care or not and he says that may not be needed because none of them is wounded.

            As the poem progresses, the girl’s sense of desperation heightens.  When the soldiers smash down the gate, she understands her critical situation.  As the soldiers’ intention is clear, the man abandons her to the fate.

            When the man moves away, she pleads, “stay with me here!” he answers “I must be leaving”.  This shows the contrast between the two characters.  She seems to the distressed and asks many questions.  He seems to be more level-headed and calm.  For the girl, abandonment leads to sudden and terrifying realization that she is powerless to prevent what is going to happen to her.