Lay your sleeping ...
... the child ephemeral:
But in my ...
... The entirely beautiful.
Soul and body ...
... vision Venus sends
Of supernatural sympathy, ...
... hermit's carnal ecstasy.
Certainty, fidelity ...
... pedantic boring cry:
Every farthing of ...
... look be lost.
Beauty, midnight, vision ...
... mortal world enough;
Noons of dryness ...
... every human love.
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
The Poem Aloud — Listen to historian and author Simon Schama read "Lullaby" and explain why it makes him cry.
The Poet's Life — A biography of W. H. Auden at Poetry Foundation.
A Celebration of Auden — A tribute to Auden's life and career, via the UK's South Bank Show.
An Auden Documentary — Watch a BBC film about the poet.
Auden and Modern UK Poets — An essay on the wider influence of 20th-century UK poets, including Auden.