Example 1 – Funeral Blues

Funeral Blues, by W. H. Auden

Think of a funeral where everyone and everything is in blue (Funeral Blues).

Stop the clocks mnemonic

The clocks are poured out of the coffin and someone stops all the clocks (Stop all the clocks).

So you now have the title and the first few words of the poem.

You now need to learn the end of each line and the beginning of the next as follows:

Funeral Blues

(Press within the boxes below to reveal the mnemonic image, then select 'back to poem' to return to the list.)

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone.

The telephone is huge - it's so big it prevents us from calling

Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone.

The bones just remained in silence

Silence the piano and, with muffled drum,

Drumming brings out the coffin

Bring out the coffin. Let the mourners come.

Mourners come out of the aeroplane

Let aeroplanes circle, moaning overhead,

Aeroplanes overhead, scribbling in the sky

Scribbling on the sky the message: "He's dead!"

The dead have crepe bows put around them

Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,

The public doves let the traffic through

Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

The glove points to the North

He was my North, my South, my East and West,

The West was where she spent her working week

My working week and my Sunday rest,

My rest under the noon sun

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;

Song of love

I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The wrong stars

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;

Every one to pack up

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;

Dismantling the sun to pouring away the ocean

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.

The wood to nothing

For nothing now can ever come to any good.

Link 1

Link TELEPHONE to PREVENT

telephone to prevent link

The telephone is gigantic. It prevents us from making a call.

Link 2

Link BONE to SILENCE

link bone with silence

The bones in the car were always silent.

Link 3

Link DRUM to BRING

link drum with bring

Playing a drum and announcing: “Bring out the coffin”.

Link 4

Link MOURNERS and LET AEROPLANES

link mourners with let aeroplanes

Mourners came out of the aeroplane.

Link 5

Link OVERHEAD to SCRIBBLING

link overhead with scribbling

Overhead aeroplanes scribbling in the sky: “He is dead”.

Link 6

Link DEAD to PUT CREPE BOWS AROUND

link dead with crepe bows

The dead had crepe bows put around them.

Link 7

Link PUBLIC DOVES to LET THE TRAFFIC

link doves to let the traffic

The public doves let the traffic through.

Link 8

Link GLOVES to HE WAS MY NORTH

link gloves with north

The glove points to North.

Link 9

Link WEST to MY WORKING WEEK

link west with my working week

The Wild West saloon is where I spend my working week.

Link 10

Link REST to MY NOON

link rest with moon

My rest under my noon day sun.

Link 11

Link SONG to I THOUGHT THAT LOVE

link song with I thought that love

Song of love.

Link 12

Link WRONG to THE STARS

Link stars and wrong

The wrong stars.

Link 13

Link EVERY ONE to PACK UP

link everyone to pack up

Every one decided to pack up smoking after seeing the frightening poster.

Link 14

Link DISMANTLE THE SUN to POUR AWAY THE OCEAN

link dismantled sun to pour away the oceans

They worked hard to dismantle the sun and then pulled out the plug to pour away the ocean.

Link 15

Link THE WOOD to NOTHING

link the wood

The wood . . .

link nothing to the wood

. . . to nothing