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Lecture by Uffaq Zahra
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O What Is That Sound? by W. H. Auden (1907-1973)

BIO OF THE POET.

W.H. Auden has managed to write a tragic poem of violence and suffering without mentioning any physical
violence.
Wystan Hugh Auden was an Anglo-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical
achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in tone, form, and content.
W.H. Auden was a poet, author and playwright. Auden was a leading literary influencer in the 20th century.
Known for his chameleon-like ability to write poems in almost every verse form, Auden's travels in countries
torn by political strife influenced his early works. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1948.

PUBLICATION OF THE POEM

“O What Is That Sound” is a ballad by W. H. Auden, written in October 1932 and first published in 1934.
MEANING OF THE POEM.
Auden selected the title as ‘O What Is That Sound’. It is a very casual title, but when taken in the context of the
poem it is understandable because most people during wartime were casually living their daily lives. When they
were attacked by soldiers, they had their lives destroyed forever. As well as this, the title is deliberately archaic,
which makes it hard for the reader to distinguish when Auden is referring to this poem about war. By doing
this, it provides a universal message towards the war that it is not dependent on time but produces the same
devastating effects regardless of when war takes place.

STRUCTURE OF THE POEM.

The poem is in ballad form and consists of nine stanzas. Being a ballad, each stanza consists of four rhyming
lines. In each quatrain (four-line stanza), the poet uses a conventional rhyme scheme. It is not that of a typical
ballad stanza. Here, the poet uses the ABAB rhyme scheme instead of the ABCB rhyme scheme. The latter
rhyme scheme is used in conventional ballad form. Apart from that, the lines rhyme alternatively and capture
two voices. Along with that, the poet uses repetitions and internal rhyming for maintaining the flow and
rhythm of the poem. Besides, the overall poem is composed in iambic pentameter, iambic tetrameter, and
iambic dimeter alternatively. There are also some metrical variations in this poem.

THEMES Of THE POEM.

Things may not be what they seem
Marriage
Appearance vs Reality
War
Human Nature

Central Idea of O What is that Sound

The central idea of the poem is to tell frailty of humans. The speaker was frail when he continued avoiding the
truth even when it was right in his/her face. The spouse was frail when he/she chose to escape leaving the
speaker alone to face the wrath of the soldiers.
Tone of O What is that Sound
The tone of the poem is mostly expectant. The speaker expects the soldiers to stop somewhere else. The tone is
also a sing-song one, contributing to its ballad-y character. The suspense is built with each passing stanza. The
tone in the penultimate stanza is one of shock and betrayal. The poem climaxes in the last stanza with a matter-
of-fact type of tone

TEXT OF THE POEM

O what is that sound which so thrills the ear

Down in the valley drumming, drumming?
Only the scarlet soldiers, dear,
The soldiers coming.
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O what is that light I see flashing so clear

Over the distance brightly, brightly?
Only the sun on their weapons, dear,
As they step lightly.

O what are they doing with all that gear,

What are they doing this morning, this morning?
Only their usual manoeuvres, dear.
Or perhaps a warning.

O why have they left the road down there,

Why are they suddenly wheeling, wheeling?
Perhaps a change in their orders, dear.
Why are you kneeling?

O haven’t they stopped for the doctor’s care,

Haven’t they reined their horses, their horses?
Why, they are none of them wounded, dear.
None of these forces.

O is it the parson they want, with white hair,

Is it the parson, is it, is it?
No, they are passing his gateway, dear,
Without a visit.

O it must be the farmer who lives so near.

It must be the farmer so cunning, so cunning?
They have passed the farmyard already, dear,
And now they are running.

O where are you going? Stay with me here!

Were the vows you swore deceiving, deceiving?
No, I promised to love you, dear,
But I must be leaving.

O it’s broken the lock and splintered the door,

O it’s the gate where they’re turning, turning;
Their boots are heavy on the floor
And their eyes are burning.

Summary of O What is that Sound

The speaker of the poem hears a sound down in the valley from his home in the morning. He asks his spouse
what that sound was. The spouse replies that it was the marching of soldiers. The rest of the poem continues in
this conversational style except for the last stanza.
The speaker next asks what the light that keeps flashing was. It is the glint of their weapons dear, says the
spouse.
Similarly the speaker continues to question the actions of the soldiers and the spouse gives appropriate
answers. The soldiers all the while keep marching towards the speaker’s house. The speaker thinks that they
would stop somewhere before, but no; they pass the doctor’s house and the parson’s church and the cunning
farmer’s barn, straight towards his house.
The spouse says he/she was leaving the speaker now. The speaker, afraid asks him/her if the vows he/she took
were all false. The spouse replies that they were all true but still, he/she must leave.
And then the soldiers break the door, and come into the house with burning eyes.
BS English Literature Notes. [Link]
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Analysis of O What Is That Sound

Stanza One
O what is that sound which so thrills the ear
(…)
The soldiers coming.
The first quatrain of ‘O What Is That Sound’ reveals that the poem consists of two individuals conversing with
each other. The first voice inquires about a sound that is “drumming, drumming” and the second voice
replies very casually that it is just the soldiers. The fact that the reply is very casual tells readers that these
individuals have been in a state of war for quite some time and it is now the norm for them.
However, hearing the soldiers “drumming, drumming” is a rather new phenomenon. Auden uses the repetition
of the word “drumming” to craft an image of marching soldiers. The soldiers are described as “scarlet”. This
could be a direct reference to their faces, flushed with the task of marching for long periods, or rather it could
refer to the uniform that the soldiers carry.

Stanza Two
O what is that light I see flashing so clear
(…)
As they step lightly.
The second quartet is another question posed by the first voice, this time it becomes clear that the second voice
is trying to calm the first voice by taking the situation very easily. The second voice says that what it sees are
just the weapons of the soldiers reflecting sunlight as they tread lightly. It is clear from the first stanza that the
soldiers are not treading lightly, they are marching loudly. This stanza brings to light the fearful state the two
individuals are in.

Stanza Three
O what are they doing with all that gear,
(…)
Or perhaps a warning.
The third stanza of ‘O What Is That Sound’ supports the fact that the first voice is in a state of fear. Therefore,
the first voice is growing desperate, inquiring what the soldiers are doing this morning. The second voice
remains persistently hopeful, stating that perhaps they are just giving them a warning of attack as if to say
surely they are not going to launch a real attack. In this way, the second assures his companion that there is no
imminent danger approaching them or their house. She can remain calm without thinking much about the
external sounds.

Stanza Four
O why have they left the road down there,
(…)
Why are you kneeling?
In the fourth stanza, the first voice realizes that the soldiers are indeed heading towards their area. She
observes their movements. As they have left the road, she asks her partner why they are doing so. Therefore,
the first voice kneels as if to protect herself. However, the second voice remains in denial, inquiring why she is
kneeling. As if there is no fear of harm at all. From this stanza, it becomes clear that the second voice or the
husband is somehow trying to deceive his wife by giving her fake assurances. The following stanzas illustrate
this fact clearly.

Stanza Five
O haven’t they stopped for the doctor’s care,
(…)
None of these forces.
The following stanzas consist of the first individual going through a storm of panic and rapidly questioning the
partner. The questions are Auden’s creative way of keeping readers informed of the whereabouts of the soldier
and they create an air of anxiety and panic, as the soldiers are coming closer; passing the doctor, the Parson,
and the Farmer.
BS English Literature Notes. [Link]
Lecture by Uffaq Zahra
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However, in the fifth stanza, the wife asks her husband whether the soldiers have stopped for the doctor’s care.
She can see they have reined their horses. But, she cannot believe her eyes. Within no time, the soldiers will be
there at their place. For this reason, she wants some assurance from her husband regarding the fact. Therefore,
the husband replies that none of them are wounded. None of the forces are there. So she can feel relaxed.

Stanza Six
O is it the parson they want, with white hair,
(…)
Without a visit.
In the sixth stanza of ‘O What Is That Sound’, the wife sees the soldiers are waiting in front of the parson’s
house. She thinks they want him for some reason. Hence she asks her husband what they are doing in front of
the parson’s house. Hearing her, the husband negates the fact. According to him, they are just passing the
parson’s gateway. They have not visited his house. Reading this section, it seems that the soldiers have visited
his house. They might have taken him with them. The husband has seen those events. But he does not wish to
tell anything about it to his wife.

Stanza Seven
O it must be the farmer that lives so near.
(…)
And now they are running.
Thereafter, the wife thinks that if the soldiers have not visited the parson’s house, they might be going to visit
the farmer’s house. The farmer’s house is nearby to that of the parson’s. Moreover, she thinks as the farmer is
a cunning fellow, he might have already left. Again, the second voice, that of the husband’s, starts lying. He
says they have visited the farmer’s house. Without saying anything further, he says the soldiers are pacing
up. He does not make anything clear to his wife. Nothing is clear concerning their destination or the cause of
running.

Stanza Eight
O where are you going? Stay with me here!
(…)
But I must be leaving.
The final two stanzas are truly tragic as they reveal that it was indeed a couple that was hiding out in their
house. The second voice inquires as to why the first voice is leaving her and running out of the house. The
second voice questions about the vows that the first voice had made to love her forever.
These vows are most likely referring to the vows made during wedding ceremonies. The role of the voices is still
unclear, which one is the husband and which one is the wife, but looking at how the poem was written in the
1900s, women were not very bold and were known for being timid so we can assume the first voice is the wife
and the second voice, the voice that has now left is the voice of the husband.

Stanza Nine
O it’s broken the lock and splintered the door,
(…)
And their eyes are burning.
The last stanza of ‘O What Is That Sound’ reveals that the soldiers have broken into their house and that she
can now see in their eyes, how they are burning. Throughout the poem, the husband is sincere to his wife.
However, when the soldiers start running towards their house he deserts her. The fact that he responds to her
“I do love you but I must leave now,” shows that he did love her but as human nature is, when it comes down to
saving one’s own life, no one means anything anymore, it all boils down to one thing, saving oneself. So at the
end of this poem, readers can find the wife marooned by her husband facing the ultimate. The poet keeps this
stanza open-ended, leaving the thread to the readers for further anticipation.