NIGHT MAIL

( W. H. Auden )
POEM:
This is the Night Mail crossing the Border,
Bringing the cheques and the postal order,
Letters for the rich, letters for the poor,
The shop at the corner, the girl next door.
Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb,
The gradient’s against her, but she’s on time,
Past cotton grass and moorland boulder,
Shovelling white steam over her shoulder.
Snorting noisily, she passes
Silent miles of wind-bent grasses.
Birds turn their heads as she approaches,
Stare from bushes at her blank-faced coaches.
Sheepdogs cannot turn her course,
They slumber on with paws across.
In the farm she passes, no one wakes,
But a jug in a bedroom gently shakes.
EXPLANATION:
This is a simple poem highlighting the various characteristics of a night mail, that brings various
types of postal materials for every type of people. It passes through various fields, meadows and
ups and downs to reach its destiny.
Nobody can change its path and it always reaches its destiny in time. The night mail is a train
that travels at night running towards its destination, bringing mails containing cheques, postal
orders, ordinary business and love letters. It serves equally the rich and the poor at the same
time. It promotes business and relations, connecting people not only living in different parts of the
country but also from the other side of the border.
Whatever the weather is, it does its job actively and regularly. The shopkeeper is anxious about
his cheque or Postal order. The next door girl is waiting for her love letter. When it passes
nothing moves only a jug lying on a table moves slightly. The night mail stops at certain stations,
then after a short while it moves and starts its journey on a steady climb. It travels upward and
downward slopes, releasing white steam, but never gets late.
It passes by grassy fields and uncultivated treeless lands, and large round rocks. Here the Poet
explains the different times of a man’s life when he has to face hardships and uneasiness also
pleasures, sometimes life is smooth and steady. Whatever the circumstances are a man has to
perform his duties regularly, punctually and earnestly, which results success.
The birds look at her plain coaches from the bushes. It travels on its fixed paths having no time to
stand and stare. The sheepdogs that they cannot force the train to change its direction by
barking or running after it, so they keep on sleeping on their paws crossed. Here the poet means
that a man has to continue its work, no one bothers for others, everyone is busy and concerned
with its own life and interests.
The night mail carries mail for people living in different villages, towns and cities. It is welcomed
everywhere as it does not create any problem for anyone anywhere, instead it is helping them in
in their lives. The poet here mentions the goodness of people that whoever is good to others is
loved, respected and welcomed by all.
The train is a nonliving thing but it is compared with human life which is called personification.
SUMMARY:
“Night Mail” is a simple poem that describes the journey of a night coach that brings mails
containing letters, postal orders for different types of different people living in different parts of
country. It brings letters for common people, postal order or cheques for business men, and love
letter for the waiting next door girl. The journey is not always the same, sometimes it has to climb
upwards or goes downwards, sometimes it crosses plains, cotton fields and moorlands boulder ,
releasing white steam. It always reaches its destination on time. The birds notice her by turning
their heads and peeping through the bushes. The sheepdogs don’t care to bark or run after her
and keep continuing their sleep with their paws cross. The people sleeping in farms don’t get
disturbed due to her, only a jug in bedroom gently shakes.
THEME:
The Poet describes the journey of a coach, Night Mail, that travels all night bringing mail which
contains letters, postal orders, cheques for people who live in the various parts of the country.
REFERENCE:
These lines have been taken from the poem “Night Mail” by W. H. Auden.
CONTEXT:
In this poem “Night Mail” the poet describes the journey of a night mail that brings mails for all
types of people living in different parts of the country. The train arrives its destination facing hard
times, unpleasant weather and going through difficult paths. The Poet explains the reaction of
birds, dogs, human and nonliving thing like a jug when it passes.
STANZA/ VERSE-1
This is the Night Mail crossing the Border,
Bringing the cheques and the postal order,
Letters for the rich, letters for the poor,
The shop at the corner, the girl next door.
Paraphrase:
This poem is about a night mail that comes crossing the border, bringing cheques, postal orders
and letters for all types of people, rich and poor, shopkeepers and a girl living at home.
Explanation:
This poem is about a night mail, in which the Poet describes the movement of the night mail. The
train crosses the border carrying cheques, postal orders and letters for all. She carries mails for
common people, rich and poor, like shop keepers and girls living in their homes. It’s a people’s
train and is useful for all types of people of business or social, helping them to get their cheques,
postal orders and letters. The Poet in this poem refers to the life of man who is busy and keeps
working all the time. The man goes one place to another for work and is helpful to others even if
he is doing his own work.
STANZA/ VERSE-2
Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb,
The gradient’s against her, but she’s on time,
Past cotton grass and moorland boulder,
Shovelling white steam over her shoulder.
Paraphrase:
The Poet says that the night mail passes through different stations like Beattock. She climbs
steadily, sometimes hurdles are there but she is on time. She passes through cotton grass fields
and round rocks. She releases white steam and keeps going.
Explanation:
Here the Poet says that the train passes through different types of lands, sometimes it has to pull
itself on paths where it has to climb steadily, even if there are hurdles and difficulties but she has
to reach its destination right on time. She passes through cotton grass fields and sometimes
moorland boulder, white steam comes out of her shoulder. Here the Poet points the different
circumstances of man, from which he goes through. He is sometimes going steadily and rises up,
having beauty around like cotton grass fields. Sometimes life is difficult when he faces hardships,
hurdles and things come across like round rocks when there are chances to slip and fall. Man
sometimes faces sickness and illness when he gets mentally hot. In all circumstances a
hardworking and ambitious man goes on and finally it is successful and reaches its destination.
STANZA/ VERSE-3
Snorting noisily, she passes
Silent miles of wind-bent grasses.
Birds turn their heads as she approaches,
Stare from bushes at her blank-faced coaches.
Paraphrase:
The night mail when passes makes a snorting noise, there is silence and the grass is bent with
wind. When it approaches near the birds pay attention and stare its coaches from bushes.
Explanation:
It is night time and there is silence, but as the night mail passes it makes a snorting noise. Grass
is bent with wind. Birds in bushes when hear its voice turn their heads to see its blank coaches
that nothing is written on them. The Poet explains that even if it is night time and there is silence
everywhere but a hardworking man keeps up straight and continues, even if the circumstances
has bent his back he doesn’t bothers. Someone pays attention towards him but it doesn’t make
any difference to him because he has to go on.
STANZA/ VERSE-4
Sheepdogs cannot turn her course,
They slumber on with paws across.
In the farm she passes, no one wakes,
But a jug in a bedroom gently shakes.
Paraphrase:
Sheepdogs know that they cannot force it to change its direction by barking or running after it. So
they keep sleeping with their paws across. People sleeping in farms don’t get disturbed due to it
when it passes by, only a jug in a bedroom gently shakes.
Explanation:
The sheepdogs keep sleeping with their paws across and are not bothered with it because they
know they cannot force it to change its direction by barking or by running after it. There are
people who are sleeping in farms who don’t get disturbed due to it and keep continuing their
sleep. There is a jug in a bedroom that gently shakes. Here the poet mentions the different
attitudes, there are some people around who are careless and ignore others because they are
well aware that their interference will not make any change in their live. Some are least bothered
with others, so they continue with their own lives. There are also some who get little shaken but
it’s temporary and doesn’t matters.
QUESTIONS: ANSWERS
Q-1 What is a Night Mail?
What does the Night Mail brings?
What is carried by the Night Mail?
Ans: The Night Mail is a coach that brings letters, cheques and postal orders for all types of
people.
Q-2 What are the main characteristics of the Night Mail?
Ans: The Night Mail is a coach that serves everyone, even it has to go through different paths
that are sometimes difficult and sometimes pleasant.
Q-3 What is the reaction of the birds on the arrival of the train?
How do the birds feel on the arrival of the train?
Ans: The birds in the bushes notice its arrival and turn their heads to see its blank coaches.
Q-4 What is the reaction of the sheepdogs on the arrival of the train?
Why do the sheepdogs go on sleeping calmly?
Ans: The sheepdogs do not care to pay attention towards it because they know they cannot force
it to change its direction by barking or running after it. So they keep sleeping with their paws
across.
Q-5 Why don’t people sleeping in the farms get disturbed when it comes?
Does the Night Mail create any problem for the people?
Does the Night Mail disturb the life on farm?
Ans: The people don’t get disturbed by its arrival because they have become used to it.
Q-6 Why does the jug in the bedroom shakes?
Ans: The jug in the bedroom shakes due to the vibration caused by the fast speed of the train.
Q-7 What type of train is the Night Mail?
What type of train has been described by the poet?
What is the most significant quality of the Night Mail?
Ans: The Night Mail is a coach that brings letters, cheques and postal orders for common people.
It is people’s train who serves everyone, rich and poor, shopkeepers and girls living in their
homes. It is steady, courageous and regular, it continues its journey even it has to go through
different paths that are sometimes difficult and sometimes pleasant.
Q-8 What does it means that the Night Mail brings letters for the girl next door?
Ans: It means that the Night Mail is not only benefitted by the shop keepers but also by the girl
living next door, who is waiting for a letter from her lover.
Q-9 How does the poet changes the lifeless things to a living things?
How is this poem a personification?
Ans: This poem is a personification because the poet in this poem has described a Mail Train
that goes through different paths facing different situations. The poet has refered to the life of
human who has to go through different circumstances facing difficulties and pleasures.
Q-10 Where does the Night Mail pass?
Ans: The Night Mail passes through different paths, sometimes it has to go up and down,
sometimes moorland boulder and cotton fields.
Q-11 What kind of letters does the Night Mail carry?
Ans: The Night Mail carries letters for all types of people living in villages, towns and cities. They
are shopkeepers and girls living in house.
Q-12 The poet calls the coaches of Night Mail ‘blanked faced.’ why?
Ans: The poet calls the Night Mail ‘blanked faced.’ because it is a mail train and there is nothing
written on it.