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is generally onsidered the greatest #nglish !oet o$the t%entieth entury& and his %or' has e(erted a
ma)or in$luene on sueeding generations o$ !oets
on *oth sides o$ the Atlanti"
• He is admired $or his unsurpassed technical virtuosity and an a*ility to %rite !oems in nearly every imagina*le
verse $orm+ the incorporation in his work o popular culture! current events! and vernacular speech+ and also
$or the vast range o$ his intellet& %hih dre% easily $rom an e(traordinary variety o$ literatures& art $orms& soial and
!olitial theories& and sienti$i and tehnial in$ormation" He had a re"arka#le wit& and o$ten mimi'ed the %riting
styles o$ other !oets suh as Di'inson& W" ," eats& and Henry .ames" His !oetry $re/uently reounts& literally ormeta!horially& a )ourney or /uest& and his travels !rovided rih material $or his verse"
riginally a!!eared as a song in a !lay Auden o-%rote %ith Christo!her
sher%ood alled The Ascent of F6 "
he !oem %as then inluded in Auden3s !oetry olletion o$ 1456 sometimes
under the *oo' title Look, Stranger! 7" he !oem %as titled 89uneral ,lues: *y
145;& %hen it %as !u*lished in Collected Poems"
Here it had *een re%ritten as a a*aret song to $it %ith the 'ind o$ *urles/uerevie%s !o!ular in ,erlin& and it %as intended $or Hedli Anderson in a !iee *y
,en)amin ,ritten" t is also sometimes re$erred to as 89uneral ,lues <to! All the
Clo's7: due to its $amous $irst line" t is !erha!s most $amous $or its delivery *y a
harater in the #nglish omedy=drama Four Weddings and a Funeral & in %hih a