As I Walked Out One Evening by WH Auden Analysis

Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973), was an English poet and one of the commanding literary figures of the twentieth century. He was well-known for his prominent style, tone, and use of straightforward poetic language. According to the interpretation of Professor Yale, this is a Ballard and here the narrator questions the reality behind the spoken words of love and adoration.

The narrator sets off one day on the pavement of Bristol and hears the resolution or sing of a lover.

'I'll love you, dear, I'll love you
   Till China and Africa meet,
And the river jumps over the mountain
   And the salmon sing in the street'
According to Yale, he wants to express some common wisdom and truth. The poet thinks and observes the scene in his mind on the walking path. The poet uses split narration by employing two distinct narrators. The one is lovers and time of the clock. Clocks say to him that "Do not think you can conquer time." Seasons changed but times remain the same.
This ballad is compositely good and gives a sense of beauty. It reminds us of the importance of time. One of the famous literary scholars Zsuzsa Rawlinson adds that it “uses the typical ballad opening ... for an English pastoral or folk song” and simple diction, “although the poem’s structure, along with the three voices of which it is composed, reinforce as well as disrupt temporal universality, undermining the lovers’ song as the poem darkens."
Professor Yale believes that It shows the depressed part of the psyche and we can see the ambiguous commands and promise. The central theme might be that time is more powerful than love.
'O look, look in the mirror,
   O look in your distress:
Life remains a blessing
   Although you cannot bless.
In the end, both are gone and the river still runs. It draws our attention to how things are framed. According to Yale what is true and right from one point may not be true from another.

The poem no doubt, like his other poems revolving around the theme of love. The poet generally writes on the themes of love, death, and sorrow. According to professor Yale, love is honey, but it does not exist in a universe devoid of suffering, waning of affection, or, of course, death. He also talks about poetry which portrays reality and truth. Poetry's way to deliver the message brings us closer to the truth. According to my interpretation might be he recalled his memories. It is generally believed that he was an unsuccessful person in matrimonial matters. Might be he remembered his love and wish if his lover said the words to him.