This poem = A ballad. By WH Auden
Refugee Blues
A refugee: is a person who has been forced A ballad is a musical element, it is
to leave their home, where they are from prominently known for its repetition. A
most probably. Refers to the Jewish People. ballad falls under the jazz genre,
which has the connotations of
depression and melonic = A sad
song.
Say this city has ten million souls,
Stanza 1
Some are living in mansions, some are living in holes: Contrasts the lower and the upper class
This emphasizes that there is nothing for We don’t belong
them, not even a hole is good enough or Yet there's no place for us, my dear, yet there's no place for us.
available for them. “my dear” – tells us that this is a couple or
partnership
Circumstances has changed from the Once we had a country and we thought it fair, “fair” – in this context means just or beautiful
Stanza 2
time they remember as “once”
You’ll see the country; this country could possibly be
Look in the atlas and you'll find it there: Germany. But they don’t allow them there.
We cannot go there now, my dear, we cannot go there now.
Stanza 3
Religion: usually teaches us to tolerate In the village churchyard there grows an old yew, “yew” – refers to a tree
Every spring it blossoms anew: It has to be renewed every year
Them becoming older: doesn’t
Old passports can't do that, my dear, old passports can't do that. help their current situation, they
are not allowed certain courts
and rules by certain countries
Stanza 4
The consul is the representative of the The consul banged the table and said,
country
They are harsh, they have or lack empathy Not valid so they can’t move really, to
and care "If you've got no passport you're officially dead": nowhere. It’s a hard life, they cannot be
helped
But we are still alive, my dear, but we are still alive. The individual says, we are alive and
breathing? How are we dead? We can still
make it.
Refugee Blues
A refugee: is a person who has been forced A ballad is a musical element, it is
to leave their home, where they are from prominently known for its repetition. A
most probably. Refers to the Jewish People. ballad falls under the jazz genre,
which has the connotations of
depression and melonic = A sad
song.
Say this city has ten million souls,
Stanza 1
Some are living in mansions, some are living in holes: Contrasts the lower and the upper class
This emphasizes that there is nothing for We don’t belong
them, not even a hole is good enough or Yet there's no place for us, my dear, yet there's no place for us.
available for them. “my dear” – tells us that this is a couple or
partnership
Circumstances has changed from the Once we had a country and we thought it fair, “fair” – in this context means just or beautiful
Stanza 2
time they remember as “once”
You’ll see the country; this country could possibly be
Look in the atlas and you'll find it there: Germany. But they don’t allow them there.
We cannot go there now, my dear, we cannot go there now.
Stanza 3
Religion: usually teaches us to tolerate In the village churchyard there grows an old yew, “yew” – refers to a tree
Every spring it blossoms anew: It has to be renewed every year
Them becoming older: doesn’t
Old passports can't do that, my dear, old passports can't do that. help their current situation, they
are not allowed certain courts
and rules by certain countries
Stanza 4
The consul is the representative of the The consul banged the table and said,
country
They are harsh, they have or lack empathy Not valid so they can’t move really, to
and care "If you've got no passport you're officially dead": nowhere. It’s a hard life, they cannot be
helped
But we are still alive, my dear, but we are still alive. The individual says, we are alive and
breathing? How are we dead? We can still
make it.
