Goodbye - A Poem of Eternal Farewell

1. Choose a task Goodbye – by Alun Lewis – Choose a task based on the poem. Activity A Activity B Activity C Activity D Activity E Activity F Activity G Activity H Glossary

2. Activity A Goodbye – by Alun Lewis – Menu Relying only on evidence in the poem, who is ‘speaking’ the poem, and who is it spoken to? 1 So we must say Goodbye, my darling, And go, as lovers go, for ever; Tonight remains, to pack and fix on labels And make an end of lying down together. I put a final shilling in the gas, And watch you slip your dress below your knees And lie so still I hear your rustling comb Modulate the autumn in the trees. And all the countless things I shall remember Lay mummy-cloths of silence round my head; I fill the carafe with a drink of water; You say, ‘We paid a guinea for this bed,’ And then, ‘We’ll leave some gas, a little warmth For the next resident, and these dried flowers,’ And turn your face away, afraid to speak The big word, that Eternity is ours. Look at stanza 2 and state who each pronoun (I and you) refers to. Click here to view next stanzas 2

3. Activity A Goodbye – by Alun Lewis – Menu Relying only on evidence in the poem, who is ‘speaking’ the poem, and who is it spoken to? 2 Your kisses close my eyes and yet you stare As though God struck a child with nameless fears; Perhaps the water glitters and discloses Time’s chalice and its limpid useless tears. Everything we renounce except our selves; Selfishness is the last of all to go; Our sighs are exhalations of the earth, Our footprints leave a track across the snow. We made the universe to be our home, Our nostrils took the wind to be our breath, Our hearts are massive towers of delight, We stride across the seven seas of death. Yet when all’s done you’ll keep the emerald I placed upon your finger in the street; And I will keep the patches that you sewed On my old battledress tonight, my sweet. Look at stanza 2 and state who each pronoun (I and you) refers to. Click here to return to the beginning of the poem 1

4. Activity B Goodbye – by Alun Lewis – Menu On their last night together he refers to packing and fixing labels in stanza 1. Can you think of any reasons why the poem describes mundane, ordinary activities rather than entirely focusing on their love for each other? 1 So we must say Goodbye, my darling, And go, as lovers go, for ever; Tonight remains, to pack and fix on labels And make an end of lying down together. I put a final shilling in the gas, And watch you slip your dress below your knees And lie so still I hear your rustling comb Modulate the autumn in the trees. And all the countless things I shall remember Lay mummy-cloths of silence round my head; I fill the carafe with a drink of water; You say, ‘We paid a guinea for this bed,’ And then, ‘We’ll leave some gas, a little warmth For the next resident, and these dried flowers,’ And turn your face away, afraid to speak The big word, that Eternity is ours. Could the very fact of mentioning these activities emphasise the contrast between what they would like to do and what they have to do? Click here to view next stanzas 2

5. Activity B Goodbye – by Alun Lewis – Menu On their last night together he refers to packing and fixing labels in stanza 1. Can you think of any reasons why the poem describes mundane, ordinary activities rather than entirely focusing on their love for each other? 2 Your kisses close my eyes and yet you stare As though God struck a child with nameless fears; Perhaps the water glitters and discloses Time’s chalice and its limpid useless tears. Everything we renounce except our selves; Selfishness is the last of all to go; Our sighs are exhalations of the earth, Our footprints leave a track across the snow. We made the universe to be our home, Our nostrils took the wind to be our breath, Our hearts are massive towers of delight, We stride across the seven seas of death. Yet when all’s done you’ll keep the emerald I placed upon your finger in the street; And I will keep the patches that you sewed On my old battledress tonight, my sweet. Could the very fact of mentioning these activities emphasise the contrast between what they would like to do and what they have to do? Click here to return to the beginning of the poem 1

6. Activity C Goodbye – by Alun Lewis – Menu What sounds does ‘autumn in the trees’ in stanza 2 suggest? Why do you think there is an emphasis on silence between the two lovers? How do you think stanzas 3 and 4 continue this theme of silence and finding difficulty in speaking? So we must say Goodbye, my darling, And go, as lovers go, for ever; Tonight remains, to pack and fix on labels And make an end of lying down together. I put a final shilling in the gas, And watch you slip your dress below your knees And lie so still I hear your rustling comb Modulate the autumn in the trees. And all the countless things I shall remember Lay mummy-cloths of silence round my head; I fill the carafe with a drink of water; You say, ‘We paid a guinea for this bed,’ And then, ‘We’ll leave some gas, a little warmth For the next resident, and these dried flowers,’ And turn your face away, afraid to speak The big word, that Eternity is ours. Can you think of a time when something has been so important to you that you have found difficulty in speaking about it to others? Lookat the words spoken in the poem and compare them with the thoughts expressed. Suggest reasons for the contrast between what they are talking about and what they are thinking about.

7. Activity D Goodbye – by Alun Lewis – Menu Why do you think she is talking about the cost of the room, the next resident and dried flowers? Why does the word ‘Eternity’ have a capital letter? And then, ‘We’ll leave some gas, a little warmth For the next resident, and these dried flowers,’ And turn your face away, afraid to speak The big word, that Eternity is ours. Think back to the discussion about packaging and labelling the luggage. What is the ‘big word’, and why might she be unwilling to talk about the future?

8. Activity E Goodbye – by Alun Lewis – Menu Track through the poem for all the words that suggest a close relationship between the two people referred to in the poem. Choose one of these to comment on what it suggests about their relationship. 1 So we must say Goodbye, my darling, And go, as lovers go, for ever; Tonight remains, to pack and fix on labels And make an end of lying down together. I put a final shilling in the gas, And watch you slip your dress below your knees And lie so still I hear your rustling comb Modulate the autumn in the trees. And all the countless things I shall remember Lay mummy-cloths of silence round my head; I fill the carafe with a drink of water; You say, ‘We paid a guinea for this bed,’ And then, ‘We’ll leave some gas, a little warmth For the next resident, and these dried flowers,’ And turn your face away, afraid to speak The big word, that Eternity is ours. Consider the words shaded in yellow. Click to show shading. Click here to view next stanzas 2

9. Activity E Goodbye – by Alun Lewis – Menu Track through the poem for all the words that suggest a close relationship between the two people referred to in the poem. Choose one of these to comment on what it suggests about their relationship. 2 Your kisses close my eyes and yet you stare As though God struck a child with nameless fears; Perhaps the water glitters and discloses Time’s chalice and its limpid useless tears. Everything we renounce except our selves; Selfishness is the last of all to go; Our sighs are exhalations of the earth, Our footprints leave a track across the snow. We made the universe to be our home, Our nostrils took the wind to be our breath, Our hearts are massive towers of delight, We stride across the seven seas of death. Yet when all’s done you’ll keep the emerald I placed upon your finger in the street; And I will keep the patches that you sewed On my old battledress tonight, my sweet. Consider the words shaded in yellow. Click to show shading. Click here to return to the beginning of the poem 1

10. Activity F Goodbye – by Alun Lewis – Menu Track through the poem for all the words that suggest the sadness of the two people referred to in the poem. Choose one of these to comment on what it suggests about their thoughts and feelings at their forced separation. 1 So we must say Goodbye, my darling, And go, as lovers go, for ever; Tonight remains, to pack and fix on labels And make an end of lying down together. I put a final shilling in the gas, And watch you slip your dress below your knees And lie so still I hear your rustling comb Modulate the autumn in the trees. And all the countless things I shall remember Lay mummy-cloths of silence round my head; I fill the carafe with a drink of water; You say, ‘We paid a guinea for this bed,’ And then, ‘We’ll leave some gas, a little warmth For the next resident, and these dried flowers,’ And turn your face away, afraid to speak The big word, that Eternity is ours. Consider the words shaded in yellow. Click to show shading. Click here to view next stanzas 2

11. Activity F Goodbye – by Alun Lewis – Menu Track through the poem for all the words that suggest the sadness of the two people referred to in the poem. Choose one of these to comment on what it suggests about their thoughts and feelings at their forced separation. 2 Your kisses close my eyes and yet you stare As though God struck a child with nameless fears; Perhaps the water glitters and discloses Time’s chalice and its limpid useless tears. Everything we renounce except our selves; Selfishness is the last of all to go; Our sighs are exhalations of the earth, Our footprints leave a track across the snow. We made the universe to be our home, Our nostrils took the wind to be our breath, Our hearts are massive towers of delight, We stride across the seven seas of death. Yet when all’s done you’ll keep the emerald I placed upon your finger in the street; And I will keep the patches that you sewed On my old battledress tonight, my sweet. Consider the words shaded in yellow. Click to show shading. Click here to return to the beginning of the poem 1

12. Activity G Goodbye – by Alun Lewis – Menu How would you sum up the mood of stanza 7? Is it typical of the poem as a whole? What level of confidence is implied in ‘We made the universe to be our home’, ‘Our hearts are massive towers of delight’ and ‘We stride across the seven seas of death’? We made the universe to be our home, Our nostrils took the wind to be our breath, Our hearts are massive towers of delight, We stride across the seven seas of death. The usual expression is ‘sail the seven seas’.

13. Activity H Goodbye – by Alun Lewis – Menu In stanza 7 there are references to ‘the universe’, ‘massive towers’ and ‘seven seas’. In stanza 8 the references are to an ‘emerald’ ring and ‘patches’ on army uniform. Why do you think Alun Lewis contrasts the idealism of love and the reality of what they will both ‘keep’ in this way? How does Alun Lewis indicate the contrast in the language he chooses? We made the universe to be our home, Our nostrils took the wind to be our breath, Our hearts are massive towers of delight, We stride across the seven seas of death. Yet when all’s done you’ll keep the emerald I placed upon your finger in the street; And I will keep the patches that you sewed On my old battledress tonight, my sweet. Compare words that reflect different scales/different realms of experience.Click to show shading. Are any of the words more typical of natural speech than others?

14. Glossary Goodbye – by Alun Lewis – Click on the highlighted words to show their meaning Menu 1 So we must say Goodbye, my darling, And go, as lovers go, for ever; Tonight remains, to pack and fix on labels And make an end of lying down together. I put a final shilling in the gas, And watch you slip your dress below your knees And lie so still I hear your rustling comb Modulate the autumn in the trees. And all the countless things I shall remember Lay mummy-cloths of silence round my head; I fill the carafe with a drink of water; You say, ‘We paid a guinea for this bed,’ And then, ‘We’ll leave some gas, a little warmth For the next resident, and these dried flowers,’ And turn your face away, afraid to speak The big word, that Eternity is ours. harmonise with a wide-necked bottle or flask for wine etc. Click here to view next stanzas 2

15. Glossary Goodbye – by Alun Lewis – Menu 2 Your kisses close my eyes and yet you stare As though God struck a child with nameless fears; Perhaps the water glitters and discloses Time’s chalice and its limpid useless tears. Everything we renounce except our selves; Selfishness is the last of all to go; Our sighs are exhalations of the earth, Our footprints leave a track across the snow. We made the universe to be our home, Our nostrils took the wind to be our breath, Our hearts are massive towers of delight, We stride across the seven seas of death. Yet when all’s done you’ll keep the emerald I placed upon your finger in the street; And I will keep the patches that you sewed On my old battledress tonight, my sweet. reveals; makes something visible wine cup, goblet clear, transparent give up out breaths all the world’s oceans Click here to return to the beginning of the poem 1