The Burial of the Dead (Poem by Thomas Stearns Eliot)

The Burial of the Dead

By Thomas Stearns Eliot

April is the cruellest month, breeding

Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing

Memory and desire, stirring

Dull roots with spring rain.

Winter kept us warm, covering

Earth in forgetful snow, feeding

A little life with dried tubers.

Summer surprised us, coming over the Starnbergersee

With a shower of rain; we stopped in the colonnade,

And went on in sunlight, into the Hofgarten,

And drank coffee, and talked for an hour.

Bin gar keine Russin, stamm’ aus Litauen, echt deutsch.

And when we were children, staying at the archduke’s,

My cousin’s, he took me out on a sled,

And I was frightened. He said, Marie,

Marie, hold on tight. And down we went.

In the mountains, there you feel free.

I read, much of the night, and go south in the winter.

What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow

Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man,

You cannot say, or guess, for you know only

A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,

And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,

And the dry stone no sound of water. Only

There is shadow under this red rock,

(Come in under the shadow of this red rock),

And I will show you something different from either

Your shadow at morning striding behind you

Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;

I will show you fear in a handful of dust.

    Frisch weht der Wind

    Der Heimat zu

    Mein Irisch Kind,

    Wo weilest du?

“You gave me hyacinths first a year ago;

“They called me the hyacinth girl.”

— Yet when we came back, late, from the Hyacinth garden,

Your arms full, and your hair wet, I could not

Speak, and my eyes failed, I was neither

Living nor dead, and I knew nothing,

Looking into the heart of light, the silence.

Oed’ und leer das Meer.

Madame Sosostris, famous clairvoyante,

Had a bad cold, nevertheless

Is known to be the wisest woman in Europe,

With a wicked pack of cards. Here, said she,

Is your card, the drowned Phoenician Sailor,

(Those are pearls that were his eyes. Look!)

Here is Belladonna, the Lady of the Rocks,

The lady of situations.

Here is the man with three staves, and here the Wheel,

And here is the one-eyed merchant, and this card,

Which is blank, is something he carries on his back,

Which I am forbidden to see. I do not find

The Hanged Man. Fear death by water.

I see crowds of people, walking round in a ring.

Thank you. If you see dear Mrs. Equitone,

Tell her I bring the horoscope myself:

One must be so careful these days.

Unreal City,

Under the brown fog of a winter dawn,

A crowd flowed over London Bridge, so many,

I had not thought death had undone so many.

Sighs, short and infrequent, were exhaled,

And each man fixed his eyes before his feet.

Flowed up the hill and down King William Street,

To where Saint Mary Woolnoth kept the hours

With a dead sound on the final stroke of nine.

There I saw one I knew, and stopped him, crying “Stetson!

“You who were with me in the ships at Mylae!

“That corpse you planted last year in your garden,

“Has it begun to sprout? Will it bloom this year?

“Or has the sudden frost disturbed its bed?

“Oh keep the Dog far hence, that’s friend to men,

“Or with his nails he’ll dig it up again!

“You! hypocrite lecteur! — mon semblable, — mon frère!”

Poem Analysis:

"The Burial of the Dead," the opening section of T.S. Eliot's landmark poem "The Waste Land," serves as a bleak and evocative introduction to the modernist masterpiece. In this analysis, we will explore the themes, imagery, and allusions within this section, which set the tone for the entire poem.

1. The Cruelty of April: The section begins with the memorable line, "April is the cruellest month." This paradoxical statement immediately captures the reader's attention and introduces a central theme of the poem: the disillusionment with traditional values and the idea that even the season of rebirth and renewal can bring cruelty and despair. The reference to lilacs growing out of the dead land hints at the paradoxical nature of life and death in the modern world.
2. Memory and Desire: Eliot introduces the interplay between "memory and desire," suggesting that the past haunts the present, and unfulfilled desires continue to influence human actions. This theme of nostalgia and longing for a lost past is a recurring motif in modernist literature.
3. Vivid Sensory Imagery: Eliot employs vivid sensory imagery to evoke a sense of time and place. He describes the changing seasons, from the warmth of winter to the surprise of summer, and how they affect the characters' moods and actions. The sensory details immerse the reader in the setting and contribute to the poem's modernist exploration of consciousness.
4. Fragmented Narratives: "The Burial of the Dead" is characterized by fragmented narratives, shifting perspectives, and abrupt changes in tone. These narrative disruptions mirror the disorienting nature of modern life and suggest the breakdown of traditional storytelling. The poem challenges readers to piece together its fractured narratives.
5. Allusions and Intertextuality: Eliot's poem is replete with literary and cultural allusions, including references to mythological figures, religious texts, and historical events. For example, the mention of the "Phoenician Sailor" alludes to the drowned sailor in The Odyssey, and the lines "Fear death by water" and "I see crowds of people" foreshadow later sections of the poem.
6. The Modern Urban Landscape: The section concludes with a vivid depiction of a bustling urban scene in London. The city is shrouded in "the brown fog of a winter dawn," and the crowded streets evoke a sense of desolation and alienation. The image of a crowd flowing over London Bridge, accompanied by references to death and sighs, suggests a world burdened by its own weight and history.

"The Burial of the Dead" serves as a powerful introduction to T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land," encapsulating the themes of disillusionment, fragmentation, and cultural decay that pervade the entire poem. Eliot's use of vivid imagery, allusions, and narrative disruptions challenges readers to grapple with the complexities of modern life and its discontents. It is a testament to Eliot's mastery of language and his ability to convey the disorienting experience of the modern world.