The poem begins with the speaker describing the train as it pulls out of the station. He notes the "dark enormous cloud of smoke" that billows from the engine and the "din and clatter" of the train as it moves. He also mentions the "murmur of the wheels" and the "hissing of the steam," which create a sense of motion and energy.
As the train travels through the night, the speaker describes the various landscapes that it passes through. He mentions the "dark fields of England" and the "moors and the lochs of Scotland," as well as the "rivers and the mountains" that the train passes along. He also notes the "towns and villages" that the train stops at, and the "lights of the houses" that can be seen in the distance.
Throughout the poem, Auden uses a variety of literary devices to create a sense of atmosphere and mood. He uses alliteration, assonance, and onomatopoeia to create a sense of rhythm and sound. He also uses imagery to create a vivid picture of the train journey, and he uses personification to give the train a sense of life and personality.
"Night Mail" is a complex and multi-layered poem that celebrates the power of transportation and the importance of communication. It is also a poem about the beauty of the British countryside and the diversity of the people who live there. The poem is a classic of 20th-century literature and is still enjoyed by readers today.
Here is a more detailed explanation of some of the literary devices Auden uses in the poem:
* Alliteration: the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. For example, in the line "The dark enormous cloud of smoke," the repetition of the "d" sound creates a sense of rhythm and emphasis.
* Assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds within a line of poetry. For example, in the line "And the murmur of the wheels, and the hissing of the steam," the repetition of the "i" sound creates a sense of continuity and flow.
* Onomatopoeia: the use of words that imitate the sounds they describe. For example, in the line "And the clatter of the wheels, and the hiss of the steam," the words "clatter" and "hiss" imitate the sounds of the train.
* Imagery: the use of figurative language to create a vivid picture in the reader's mind. For example, in the line "The dark fields of England, and the moors and the lochs of Scotland," Auden uses imagery to create a picture of the British countryside.
* Personification: the attribution of human characteristics to an inanimate object. For example, in the line "The train races through the night," Auden gives the train human qualities by describing it as racing.
These are just a few of the literary devices that Auden uses in "Night Mail." The poem is a complex and multi-layered work of art that is full of rich imagery and symbolism. It is a classic of 20th-century literature and is still enjoyed by readers today.