Later work, 1958–73 W. H. Auden

auden in 1970

in late 1950s auden s style became less rhetorical while range of styles increased. in 1958, having moved summer home italy austria, wrote good-bye mezzogiorno ; other poems period include dichtung und wahrheit: unwritten poem , prose poem relation between love , personal , poetic language, , contrasting dame kind , anonymous impersonal reproductive instinct. these , other poems, including 1955–66 poems history, appeared in homage clio (1960). prose book dyer s hand (1962) gathered many of lectures gave in oxford professor of poetry in 1956–61, revised versions of essays , notes written since mid-1940s.

among new styles , forms in auden s later work haiku , tanka began writing after translating haiku , other verse in dag hammarskjöld s markings. sequence of fifteen poems house in austria, thanksgiving habitat (written in various styles included imitation of william carlos williams) appeared in house (1965), other poems included reflection on lecture tours, on circuit . in late 1960s wrote of vigorous poems, including river profile , 2 poems looked on life, prologue @ sixty , forty years on . these appeared in city without walls (1969). lifelong passion icelandic legend culminated in verse translation of elder edda (1969). among later themes religionless christianity learned partly dietrich bonhoeffer, dedicatee of poem friday s child.

a world: commonplace book (1970) kind of self-portrait made of favourite quotations commentary, arranged in alphabetical order subject. last prose book selection of essays , reviews, forewords , afterwords (1973). last books of verse, epistle godson (1972) , unfinished thank you, fog (published posthumously, 1974) include reflective poems language ( natural linguistics ) , own ageing ( new year greeting , talking myself , lullaby [ din of work subdued ]). last completed poem archaeology , ritual , timelessness, 2 recurring themes in later years.