Moving through the silent crowd by Stephen Spender Analysis
Moving through the silent crowd
Who stand behind dull cigarettes
Those men who idle in the road,
I have the sense of falling light.
They lounge at corners of the street
And greet friends with a shrug of shoulder
And turn their empty pockets out,
The cynical gestures of the poor.
Now they’ve no work, like better men
Who sit at desks and take much pay
They sleep long nights and rise at ten
To watch the hours that drain away.
I’m jealous of the weeping hours
They stare through with such hungry eyes.
I’m haunted by these images,
I’m haunted by their emptiness.
Stanza 1
"Moving through a silent crowd": This opening line immediately
establishes a sense of isolation amidst a multitude. The adjective
"silent" suggests a lack of communication or empathy within the
crowd.
"Those men who idle in the road": Here, Spender introduces a
specific group within the crowd – unemployed men. The verb "idle"
carries connotations of laziness or purposelessness, which will be
further developed.
"I have the sense of falling light": This is a striking image,
suggesting a decline or decay, perhaps a metaphor for the
deteriorating social conditions. The word "falling" implies a sense of
helplessness and inevitability.
Stanza 2
Moving through the silent crowd
Who stand behind dull cigarettes
Those men who idle in the road,
I have the sense of falling light.
They lounge at corners of the street
And greet friends with a shrug of shoulder
And turn their empty pockets out,
The cynical gestures of the poor.
Now they’ve no work, like better men
Who sit at desks and take much pay
They sleep long nights and rise at ten
To watch the hours that drain away.
I’m jealous of the weeping hours
They stare through with such hungry eyes.
I’m haunted by these images,
I’m haunted by their emptiness.
Stanza 1
"Moving through a silent crowd": This opening line immediately
establishes a sense of isolation amidst a multitude. The adjective
"silent" suggests a lack of communication or empathy within the
crowd.
"Those men who idle in the road": Here, Spender introduces a
specific group within the crowd – unemployed men. The verb "idle"
carries connotations of laziness or purposelessness, which will be
further developed.
"I have the sense of falling light": This is a striking image,
suggesting a decline or decay, perhaps a metaphor for the
deteriorating social conditions. The word "falling" implies a sense of
helplessness and inevitability.
Stanza 2
