"Funeral Blues" by W.H. Auden Trivia Quiz

Answer: Stop all the clocks

"Stop all the clocks" is the first line of the poem "Funeral Blues" written by Wystan Hugh Auden in 1936.

Answer: A juicy bone

The original four stanza poem was from Auden's play "The Ascent of F6" which he wrote with Christopher Isherwood. It was quoted in the funeral scene of a political figure written for the play.

Answer: He is dead

The poem was to be put to music and sung by opera star Hedli Anderson in an arrangement done by a British composer named Benjamin Britten.

Answer: Black cotton gloves

Auden put the poem in a book of other poems and the gave the book the title, "Another Time". The four poems in the book were meant as cabaret songs for Hedli Anderson.

Answer: Sunday

"Funeral Blues" was quoted by actor John Hannah in the 1994 award winning movie, "Four Weddings and a Funeral", at the funeral of his partner Gareth.

Answer: Song

The poem is a tribute poem inscribed on a wall in Belgium where a retaining wall collapsed killing thirty-nine people. A soccer game was being played by England and Italy.

Answer: No

Auden says to put out every star because none of them is wanted anymore. "Funeral Blues" is a song title on Jay Munly's 1999 album called "Galvanized Yankee".

Answer: Dismantled

Auden wants the sun dismantled and the moon packed up. DJ Noize used lines of "Funeral Blues" in his CD "Think Differently Music: Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture".

Answer: Ocean

The United Kingdom edition of the book "Another Time" has the poem "Funeral Blues" in it. The UK's edition of this poem is the only country that has a misprint in line fifteen. The line, "Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods", is written without the letter 's' in 'woods'.

Answer: Good

"Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead.
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods;
For nothing now can ever come to any good."