Marius_Hancu
2024-10-04 15:04:36 UTC
Reply
PermalinkOne of the web versions of this poem shows this stanza this way:
~~~
The bolt is sliding in its groove,
Outside the window is the black removers' van.
And now with sudden swift emergence
Come the woman in dark glasses and humpbacked surgeons
And the scissors man.
Auden, "The Two"
https://allpoetry.com/The-Two
~~~
My printed book shows it this way:
~~~
The bolt is sliding in its groove,
Outside the window is the black remov-
-ers' van:
And now with sudden swift emergence
Come the woman in dark glasses, the humpbacked surgeons,
And the scissors man.
~~~
which is probably Auden's intent, or precious rhymes (groove/remov,
van/man) are lost, as is the separate line "-ers' van:."
Now, how would you read it loud/recite it? I'd leave a beat between
"remov" and "ers," skipping over water:-)
I don't hear that pause in these clips:
Appreciated.
--
Marius Hancu