W.H. Auden – Now the Leaves are Falling Fast
Key Facts
- Author of the poem – W.H. Auden
- Full name – Wystan Hugh Auden
- Pulitzer Prize – 1948
- Birth – 1907
- Death – 1973
- Pulitzer-winning work – The Age of Anxiety
- Poetry to Auden was a – Serious game
- Left England – 1939
- Settled permanently – United States
- His work is divided into – British and American phases
- Poem type – Lyric
- Theme – Frustration inherent in human life
- Meaning of “Nurse” (line 2) – A tree
- Tone – Pessimistic yet optimistic
- “Trolls” – Scandinavian mythological creatures
B.1 True/False
- The leaves are falling very fast – T
- Nurses are still there to care for flowers – F
- All prams are gone to the grave – T
- Whispering neighbours disturb ageing persons’ delight – T
- Old persons feel lonely as they become inactive – T
- Death freezes the body and separates us from people – T
- Promises of love are often deceptive – T
- Starvation and suffering do not characterize human life – F
- Travellers find relief in the mountain waterfall – T
- “The prams go rolling on” suggests continuity of life – F
B.2 Complete the Lines
- Nurses to the graves are gone and the prams go rolling on.
- Cold, impossible, ahead / List the mountain’s lovely head / Whose white waterfall could bless / Travellers in their last distress.
B.3 Short Answers
- Meaning of “Now the leaves are falling fast” – Symbolizes the decay of life and its continuous end.
- Words suggesting death in stanza two – Whispering neighbours, pluck, freeze.
- Completing the last journey – Neighbours and dear ones carry the body for burial/cremation.
- Role of Trolls – They scold and search for food in the leafless wood.
- Travellers and their blessing – Old people are travellers; they are blessed by the waterfall’s beauty.
- Nature words in stanza one – Nurse, flowers, pram.
- Whispering neighbours – Messengers of death or agents of decay.
- Human misery – Caused by ageing and decay.
- Travellers’ blessing – All living beings are blessed by nature’s sights.
Long Answers
Q1. Falling leaves as death and waste
Leaves symbolize life; their falling represents death. Just as fallen leaves decompose into soil, humans too die and become part of the earth. Thus, falling leaves reflect death and human waste on a large scale.
Q2. Negative tendencies in society
Auden criticizes gossip (whispering neighbours) and false love (arms raised stiffly to reprove). These show hypocrisy, artificial affection, and cruelty in human relationships.
Q3. Who are “Trolls” in real life?
“Trolls” are mythological creatures, but metaphorically they represent selfish, predatory humans who exploit others during hard times.
Q4. Is the poem pessimistic?
Though death and misery dominate, Auden ends with hope. The mountain waterfall symbolizes relief and blessings, showing optimism amidst despair.