Spain by W.H. Auden: Summary

'Spain' was written in 1937 about the Spanish Civil War by W. H. Auden. This is the most celebrated poem of Auden and it is one of the rarest war poems which was used as pamphlet in the war period. At that time, Hitler had already taking grip over Eastern Europe and Fascist Franco was in power as the head of Spain.

“Spain” is all about the lamentation of the tragedy that Spain and its people faced in the civil war period. The first six stanzas go on comparing the ancient time and the then not so ancient time. The poet talks from the time of Marco polo who started the trade route from one place to the other, to the Renaissance, Reformation, Enlightenment and Industrialization. Each stanza talks about the different time frame of the history.

Auden then presents the near present where the poet himself is hopefully looking for the inspiration from Nature. The science and technology have already taken the speed for the victory but the poor and the needy are praying for redemption and the lives of the citizens degrade day by day. The citizens pray to the creator to do justice by interfering the disintegration of unity of people. But the creator answers negatively and says he is already there what people do, say, desire or choose. Now the creator is Spain, fighting with the fascism for its liberation. The people of Spain is shown as fighter forming a people’s army as “life”.

The poet moves to tomorrow which may have a bright future. There may be academic research, romantic love, poets absorbed in their art, bicycle races and suburbs in summer evenings. Then in concluding stanzas 24, 25 and 26, the speaker talks about today.  Today is filled with death, guilt, gloom, terror, loneliness, no consolation for the loss in the war, no friendship and hope. Even the stars died themselves eliminating their light and aspiration from human life. The animal kingdom is shown far away from the human being refusing to respond at human kind’s action and leaving them all alone. The history that the poet was talking about in Stanzas 1 through 6 "May say Alas but cannot help nor pardon."

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Sharma, Kedar N. "Spain by W.H. Auden: Summary." BachelorandMaster, 3 July 2017, bachelorandmaster.com/britishandamericanpoetry/spain-summary.html.