After The Funeral

“After The Funeral” is an elegiac poem by Dylan Thomas, that laments the death of his Aunt Ann Jones, and shares a deep bond, love, and affection for his aunt deeply, the theme of death, love, hypocrisy, isolation, and time.

The poem begins with the speaker describing the aftermath of a funeral, describing the mule's praise and the sound of the shovel digging a grave. The imagery of the funeral is dark and somber, with references to closed eyes and black teeth. The speaker then reflects on the death of a person named Ann, who had a "fountain heart" that "drowned each sun" in her life. The speaker describes Ann's death as a still drop, indicating that it was peaceful and not a grand event.

The speaker then reflects on his role as Ann's bard, calling on the seas to honor her memory and bring her love to the world through "wood-tongued virtue." He imagines her love singing and swinging through a "brown chapel" and her spirit being blessed by birds. The speaker then reflects on Ann's physical appearance, describing her as meek and humble, but now carved into a "skyward statue" with a wild breast and giant skull.

The speaker describes the process of creating this statue as taking place in a room with a wet window, in a house that is "fiercely mourning." He reflects on Ann's hands, now carved into marble, and how they represent her religious devotion. The speaker concludes by saying that this statue will "storm" him forever over her grave, and that he hopes the fox and fern in the room will come to life and cry out "Love." The poem is a reflection on the speaker's grief and mourning for his lost loved one, Ann. It also reflects on the process of remembering and honoring the dead through art and poetry.

“After the funeral, mule praises, brays,
Windshake of sailshaped ears, muffle-toed tap
Tap happily of one peg in the thick
Grave's foot, blinds down the lids, the teeth in black,
The spittled eyes, the salt ponds in the sleeves,
Morning smack of the spade that wakes up sleep,
Shakes a desolate boy who slits his throat
In the dark of the coffin and sheds dry leaves,
That breaks one bone to light with a judgment clout'
After the feast of tear-stuffed time and thistles
In a room with a stuffed fox and a stale fern,
I stand, for this memorial's sake, alone
In the snivelling hours with dead, humped Ann
Whose hodded, fountain heart once fell in puddles
Round the parched worlds of Wales and drowned each sun
(Though this for her is a monstrous image blindly
Magnified out of praise; her death was a still drop;”

1. After the funeral, mule praises, brays - The speaker is describing the sounds of a mule braying after a funeral.
2. Windshake of sailshaped ears, muffle-toed tap - The speaker is describing the movement of the mule's ears, which are shaped like sails, and the sound of its muffle-toed hooves tapping.
3. Tap happily of one peg in the thick - The speaker is describing the mule's hoof tapping happily on the ground, possibly in a cemetery.
4. Grave's foot, blinds down the lids, the teeth in black, - The speaker is describing the appearance of the grave, with the lids closed and the teeth (or possibly the inscription) in black.
5. The spittled eyes, the salt ponds in the sleeves, - The speaker is describing the appearance of someone at the funeral, possibly the deceased, with eyes that appear to have been spit on and salt stains on their sleeves.
6. Morning smack of the spade that wakes up sleep, - The speaker is describing the sound of a spade being used in the morning, possibly to dig the grave, that wakes up the sleep of the person being buried.
7. Shakes a desolate boy who slits his throat - The speaker is describing a desolate boy who has slit his own throat, possibly in grief or despair.
8. In the dark of the coffin and sheds dry leaves, - The speaker is describing the boy's death taking place in the dark of a coffin, with dry leaves falling around him.
9. That breaks one bone to light with a judgment clout, - The speaker is describing how the boy's death is a violent and final act, breaking one of his bones and shedding light on the situation.
10. After the feast of tear-stuffed time and thistles - The speaker is describing the aftermath of the funeral, with a feast of tears and thistles (a symbol of sorrow and hardship).
11. In a room with a stuffed fox and a stale fern, - The speaker is describing a room where the funeral feast is taking place, with a stuffed fox and a stale fern (symbols of death and decay).
12. I stand, for this memorial's sake, alone - The speaker is describing their own feelings of isolation and loneliness as they stand alone for the sake of the deceased's memory.
13. In the snivelling hours with dead, humped Ann - The speaker is describing their time with the deceased, Ann, who is now dead and humped (possibly referring to her body being laid out for viewing).
14. Whose hodded, fountain heart once fell in puddles - The speaker is describing Ann's past, with a heart that once fell like a fountain in puddles (symbolic of her love and passion).
15. Round the parched worlds of Wales and drowned each sun - The speaker is describing how Ann's love and passion once spread through the parched and dry worlds of Wales, drowning out the sun (symbolic of her impact on the world).
16. (Though this for her is a monstrous image blindly - The speaker is acknowledging that this image of Ann as a powerful and impactful person is not how she would have wanted to be remembered, as it is a monstrous and blind exaggeration of her true self.
17. Magnified out of praise; her death was a still drop; - The speaker is saying that Ann's death was a peaceful and still moment, not the grand and impactful event that the speaker is making it out to be.

 

“She would not have me sinking in the holy
Flood of her heart's fame; she would lie dumb and deep
And need no druid of her broken body).
But I, Ann's bard on a raised hearth, call all
The seas to service that her wood-tongued virtue
Babble like a bellbuoy over the hymning heads,
Bow down the walls of the ferned and foxy woods
That her love sing and swing through a brown chapel,
Blees her bent spirit with four, crossing birds.
Her flesh was meek as milk, but this skyward statue
With the wild breast and blessed and giant skull
Is carved from her in a room with a wet window
In a fiercely mourning house in a crooked year.
I know her scrubbed and sour humble hands
Lie with religion in their cramp, her threadbare
Whisper in a damp word, her wits drilled hollow,
Her fist of a face died clenched on a round pain;
And sculptured Ann is seventy years of stone.
These cloud-sopped, marble hands, this monumental
Argument of the hewn voice, gesture and psalm
Storm me forever over her grave until
The stuffed lung of the fox twitch and cry Love
And the strutting fern lay seeds on the black sill.”

18. She would not have me sinking in the holy - The speaker is saying that Ann would not have wanted the speaker to be consumed by grief and mourning.
19. Flood of her heart's fame; she would lie dumb and deep - The speaker is saying that Ann would have wanted to be remembered in a simple and peaceful way, lying quietly in her grave.
20. And need no druid of her broken body). - The speaker is saying that Ann would not have wanted any rituals or ceremonies performed on her body after her death.
21. But I, Ann's bard on a raised hearth, call all - The speaker, who sees themselves as Ann's bard or poet, is calling on the sea and all of nature to pay tribute to Ann.
22. The seas to service that her wood-tongued virtue - The speaker is asking the seas to serve Ann's virtue, which is described as wood-tongued (possibly meaning natural or unrefined).
23. Babble like a bellbuoy over the hymning heads, - The speaker is asking the seas to make a sound like a bell buoy, echoing over the heads of those who sing hymns in honor of Ann.
24. Bow down the walls of the ferned and foxy woods - The speaker is asking the walls of the woods to bow down in honor of Ann, who is described as ferned and foxy (possibly meaning wild or natural).
25. That her love sing and swing through a brown chapel, - The speaker is asking for Ann's love to be sung and swung through a brown chapel (symbolic of a simple and natural place of worship).
26. Blees her bent spirit with four, crossing birds. - The speaker is asking for birds to bless Ann's spirit, with four birds crossing over her.
27. Her flesh was meek as milk, but this skyward statue - The speaker is describing the contrast between Ann's physical body, which was meek and gentle, and the statue of her that the speaker is creating, which is skyward and powerful.
28. With the wild breast and blessed and giant skull - The speaker is describing the statue as having a wild breast, a blessed and giant skull (symbolic of wisdom and power).
29. Is carved from her in a room with a wet window - The speaker is describing the process of creating the statue, in a room with a wet window (symbolic of tears and grief).
30. In a fiercely mourning house in a crooked year. - The speaker is describing the house where the statue is being created as one of fierce mourning, in a crooked or difficult year.
31. I know her scrubbed and sour humble hands - The speaker is describing Ann's hands, which were scrubbed and humble, but also sour (possibly meaning rough or calloused).
32. Lie with religion in their cramp, her threadbare - The speaker is describing how Ann's hands, which were religious and humble, now lie in a cramp (possibly meaning a cramped or uncomfortable position).
33. Whisper in a damp word, her wits drilled hollow, - The speaker is describing how Ann's voice, which was once a whisper, is now silent and her wits (or mind) is hollow.
34. Her fist of a face died clenched on a round pain; - The speaker is describing how Ann's face, which was once clenched in a fist, now lies still in death with a round pain (possibly meaning a circular or cyclical pain).
35. And sculptured Ann is seventy years of stone. - The speaker is describing how the statue of Ann, which is now sculpted, represents seventy years of her life, now frozen in stone.

36. These cloud-sopped, marble hands, this monumental - The speaker is describing the statue's hands, which are marble and cloud-sopped (possibly meaning covered in clouds or mist), and how it is a monumental representation of Ann.
37. Argument of the hewn voice, gesture and psalm - The speaker is describing how the statue represents the argument or message of Ann's voice, gesture, and psalm (a hymn or religious song).
38. Storm me forever over her grave until - The speaker is saying that the statue will continue to impact and affect them for the rest of their life, until...
39. The stuffed lung of the fox twitch and cry Love - The speaker is saying that the statue will continue to impact them until the fox in the room twitches and cries out "Love" (symbolic of the fox coming to life and expressing love).
40. And the strutting fern lay seeds on the black sill." - The speaker is saying that the statue will continue to impact them until the fern in the room lays seeds on the black sill (symbolic of the fern coming to life and reproducing).

 In conclusion, the poet conveys the significance of the relationship between human beings and the importance of feeling, love, bonding, care, sadness, happiness, and joy for each other.