There is a certain level of hesitation that is often experienced when it comes to one’s acceptance of time. One may see this uncertainty not only in others’ but perhaps in his or her own perceptions. There is much speculation surrounding time and what happens when one’s time on earth finally reaches its end.  The nature of time, in itself, is a scary reality. Not only does time play a very personal role in the lives of all of humanity, but it also plays a prominent part in many of the works included in modern and contemporary poetry. We see the positions of various poets when it comes to the concept of time, whether it be a position of optimism or pessimism. There is one thing that is certain, however; one never knows when his or her time on earth is up. Time is, essentially, all we have. W. H. Auden’s “As I Walked Out One Evening”, can be viewed as a prime example of a poem which revolves around the theme of the finite nature of time.

Auden’s “As I Walked Out One Evening” is an exchange between a lover and the clocks that cut his assertions of love short. No matter what promises the lover makes — “Till China and Africa meet, / And the river jumps over the mountain / And the salmon sing in the street”(10-12) — Time will be not only be observing, but will also be willingly prepared to draw attention to the fact that more time has gone by. The lovers understand that they are an hour closer to their mortal destinies. With the use of allegory, the poem gives Time its own voice and in turn reprimands the young lovers for their careless optimism. The message Time conveys to the lovers is obvious: “In headaches and in worry / Vaguely life leaks away” (29-30). Our time on earth is finite, much like the sand of an hourglass that pours out from top to bottom from the moment we are born. Although the finite nature of time may not be enough, Auden moves towards the idea that it has to be because it is all we have.

A background set to match this exchange between mortality and eternity is the “brimming river” (5) where the speaker stops to listen to the lovers. The river is used as a metaphor for Time because of the way it flows: it goes on endlessly and goes on even as we do not. No matter what small connection we may make with the water in the flowing river, it keeps flowing past us. No matter how hard we may try we could never stop the river from flowing. Similarly, the bells of the clock tower remind us of the Time that is passing–the time that will not stop for us: