Juxtaposition of Converse Religious Themes in W. H. Auden’s “Vespers”
W. H. Auden’s “Horae Canonicae” is a sequence of seven exegetic poems emulating the canonical hours of the Christian Church, entitled: “Prime,” “Terce,” “Sext,” “Nones,” “Vespers,” “Compline,” and “Lauds.” The rhythmic structure of these salvation poems mirrors the temporal divisions of the canonical hours that for centuries have been spoken by members of the Judeo-Christian faith (Curtis). Published in 1955, “Horae Canonicae” revolves around an age-old tradition of the early church yet finds a specific relation to the “religious resurgence” in post-World War II America (Ahlstrom 950). Though the 1950s were associated with an increase in religious participation that was so high in the United States that many talked of a new awakening, it also marked the emergence of two ideological viewpoints: liberal humanism and conservative fundamentalism (Ahlstrom 1072). “Horae Canonicae” acknowledges the “crucifixion as central to a Christian philosophy of history and ultimate fulfillment” yet makes a basic distinction between the various interpretations of man’s purpose on earth (Curtis). More significantly, Auden’s poem “Vespers” contains themes of the liturgical ceremony that ironically denote a non-Christian interpretation of the history of the human race.
W. H. Auden’s anti-ideological references in “Vespers” are a direct reflection of the impact made by humanism on American literature. Dating back to the first sacred composition in American history, the prologue of the Mayflower Compact contains a blatant assumption of the pilgrim’s belief that man is both the originator and terminator of his own experiences: “We do by these present, solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and each and one another…” (qtd. in Kaplan 4). Centuries later, it was Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, and Whitman whose literary works embodied the ethical dilemma between natural fate and human responsibility...