Can love really conquer all? According to this poem it can't, because time will always prevail. Auden uses contrasting attitudes between the clocks ( time ) and the lover to enhance the understanding as well as the meaning of the poem.
The lover starts off by saying that nothing can stop his emotions, and his love will never fade. " Love has no ending. " This implies that his love will last forever.
Which seems impossible since he's not immortal, but in his opinion love is immortal.
He goes on to compare the idea that the deterioration of his love would be like " China and Africa [meeting]. " To him there's a better chance of that happening than him losing his love for her. The lover also states that he holds " The Flower of the Ages " in his arms. This diction of flowers and the ages shows his strong feelings.
W.H.Auden
English: Photo of W. H. Auden, 1970, taken by me.
English: W. H. Auden Category:W.H. AudenFlowers are symbolic of beauty, and ages mean the history of time. His love isn't ordinary love, it's extreme love. To him this woman is the best thing ever created by the hands of God.
The literary language used in describing the lovers love is connotatively positive. In the beggining of the poem the narrartor says, " I heard a lover sing." The action of singing creates a harmonious feeling, which evokes a sense of peace.
Singing is a way to express feeling when simple words aren't enough, and that's what the lover is trying to do. The lovers imagery of the ocean and the stars in the sky create a romantic ambeance. This ambeance makes the reader sympathetic towards the lovers emotions, which in turn urges understanding for the lover.
The clocks/time however disagree with the lover's perception and attitude.
Love is not immortal, because...