Stop all the clocks

Canada
January 5, 2007 7:41am CST
This is the poem that is said for Gareth at his funeral. I cannot watch this without crying... by W.H. Auden 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 mourning overhead Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead Put crepe bows around 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 wood For nothing now can ever come to any good.
1 person likes this
3 responses
@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
18 Jan 07
I can never get through this without crying either. My husband laughs at me because I've seen the movie at least a hundred times and I still cry. I had read the poem in school before I saw the movie, and I remember being touched by it, but never as much so as in this movie.
• Canada
18 Jan 07
Yes, I heard the movie in high school as well, but it never affected me so much as when I heard it in the movie.
• Canada
18 Jan 07
LOL okay, let's try that again, that would be "poem", not "movie".. When I wake up, I'm fired :P
@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
18 Jan 07
Haha! Apparently I was sleepy enough I didn't even notice it wasn't right until you corrected it.
@Idlewild (6090)
• United States
6 Jan 07
Yes, it's a great poem, and a very moving scene in the movie. There was a lot of comedy in the film, but also some real drama, such as in that scene.
• Canada
6 Jan 07
The more I watch that movie, the more I love it. It's as much a celebration of the human spirit as it is about the colourfulness of the characters.
• United States
6 Jan 07
That is beautiful! Thank you for sharing that poem!