Refugee Blues by W. H. Auden — Analysis & Translation

Original Poem

Refugee Blues Say this city has ten million souls, Some are living in mansions, some are living in holes: Yet there's no place for us, my dear, yet there's no place for us. Once we had a country and we thought it fair. Look in the atlas and you'll find it there: We cannot go there now, my dear, we cannot go there now. In the village churchyard there grows an old yew, Every spring it blossoms anew: Old passports can't do that, my dear, old passports can't do that. The consul banged the table and said. "If you've got no passport you're officially dead": But we are still alive, my dear, but we are still alive. Went to a committee; they offered me a chair, Asked me politely to return next year: But where shall we go to-day, my dear, but where shall we go to-day? Came to a public meeting; the speaker got up and said, "If we let them in, they will steal our daily bread" He was talking of you and me, my dear, he was talking of you and me. Thought I heard the thunder rumbling in the sky, It was Hitler over Europe, saying, "They must die" O we were in his mind, my dear, O we were in his mind. Saw a poodie in a jacket fastened with a pin, Saw a door opened and a cat let in: But they weren't German Jews, my dear, but they weren't German Jews. Went down the harbour and stood upon the quay. Saw the fish swimming as if they were free: Only ten feet away, my dear, only ten feet away. Walked through a wood, saw the birds in the trees; They had no politicians and sang at their ease: They weren't the human race, my dear, they weren't the human race. Dreamed I saw a building with a thousand floors, A thousand windows and a thousand doors: Not one of them was ours, my dear, not one of them was ours. Stood on a great plain in the falling snow, Ten thousand soldiers marched to and fro: Looking for you and me, my dear, looking for you and me. WH Auden.

Translation (English)

This city has ten million people, some live in big houses, some in small, poor places: But there's no place for us, my dear, no place for us. We once had a country and thought it was fair. You can find it on the map: But we can't go there now, my dear, we can't go there now. In the village cemetery, an old yew tree grows, it blooms every spring: Old passports can't do that, my dear, old passports can't do that. The consul slammed the table and said, "Without a passport, you're officially dead": But we're still alive, my dear, we're still alive. I went to a committee; they offered me a seat, and asked me to come back next year: But where can we go today, my dear, where can we go today? At a public meeting, the speaker said, "If we let them in, they'll take our jobs": He was talking about us, my dear, about us. I thought I heard thunder in the sky, it was Hitler over Europe, saying, "They must die": We were on his mind, my dear, we were on his mind. I saw a dog in a coat held with a pin, saw a door open and a cat let in: But they weren't German Jews, my dear, they weren't German Jews. I went to the harbor and stood on the dock. I saw fish swimming freely: Just ten feet away, my dear, just ten feet away. I walked through the woods, saw birds in the trees; they had no politicians and sang freely: They weren't human, my dear, they weren't human. I dreamed of a building with a thousand floors, a thousand windows, and a thousand doors: Not one was ours, my dear, not one was ours. I stood on a vast plain in the snow, ten thousand soldiers marched back and forth: Looking for us, my dear, looking for us.

About the Poet

W. H. Auden (20th Century)

Wystan Hugh Auden was a British-American poet known for his stylistic and technical achievements in poetry. His work engaged with politics, morals, love, and religion. Auden moved to the United States in 1939 and became an American citizen in 1946.

Historical Context

Literary Form: Blues
When Written: 1939
Background: The poem was written against the backdrop of the oppression and displacement faced by Jewish refugees during the rise of Nazi Germany. It reflects the despair and bureaucratic indifference experienced by refugees.

Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhBzGlihKtc, https://genius.com/Wh-auden-refugee-blues-annotated, https://poemanalysis.com/w-h-auden/refugee-blues/

Detailed Explanation

W. H. Auden's 'Refugee Blues' is a poignant reflection on the plight of Jewish refugees during the rise of Nazi Germany. The poem uses the blues form, traditionally associated with expressing sorrow and hardship, to convey the despair and alienation felt by refugees. The repeated refrain 'my dear' adds a personal and intimate tone, emphasizing the shared suffering of the speaker and their companion. The poem contrasts the freedom and renewal found in nature with the harsh realities faced by the refugees, who are denied a place to call home. The imagery of the yew tree, which blossoms anew each spring, symbolizes renewal and hope, yet the refugees' old passports cannot offer them the same rebirth. The poem also critiques the bureaucratic indifference and xenophobia that refugees encounter, as seen in the consul's declaration that without a passport, they are 'officially dead.' The poem's references to Hitler and the threat of war underscore the urgency and danger faced by the refugees. Auden's use of simple language and repetition highlights the universality of the refugees' plight, making their suffering accessible and relatable to the reader.

Themes

Literary Devices

Word Dictionary

Word	Meaning	Translation	Transliteration
souls	people	individuals or persons	sohlz
mansions	large houses	big, luxurious homes	man-shuhnz
holes	small, poor places	cramped, inadequate living spaces	hohlz
atlas	map book	a book of maps	at-luhs
yew	type of tree	a kind of evergreen tree	yoo
consul	official	government representative	kon-suhl
quay	dock	a platform by the water for loading and unloading ships	kee
ease	comfort	without difficulty or stress	eez
plain	flat land	a large, flat area of land	pleyn
thunder	loud noise from the sky	the sound following a lightning flash	thuhn-duhr
rumbling	deep, rolling sound	a low, continuous noise	ruhm-bling
blossoms	flowers	blooms or flowers appearing	blos-uhmz
officially	formally	in a way recognized by authority	uh-fish-uh-lee
steal	take without permission	to take something that isn't yours	steel
harbour	place for ships	a sheltered area for ships	har-buhr
politicians	government leaders	people involved in politics	pol-i-tish-uhnz
floors	levels	stories or levels of a building	flawrz
soldiers	army men	members of the military	sohl-jurz