An examination of the use of imagery in W. H. Auden’s poem, As I Walked Out One Evening.
W. H. Auden’s poem, “As I Walked Out One Evening”, is a splendid example of Auden’s use of imagery. In this poem, Auden forces us to look at the concept of time from the perspective that it is like an enemy. To put this image in place, he contrasts it with a pair of lovers who cannot grasp the true meaning of time because their perspectives are muddled with their concept of love. This paper examines Auden’s poem and how he utilizes the technique of imagery to successfully prove his point.
“According to Robert Bloom Auden’s poetry often carries with it a sense of the immense peril in which the whole human enterprise stands as the hour comes round for a decaying civilization either to renew itself or die (Bloom). This perspective is clearly laid out in As I Walked Out One Evening, as the speaker takes notice of two lovers on Bristol Street. As we will discover, time and its justice can be seen as the poem unfolds.”