Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
The next line begins with another imperative; ‘prevent’. The idea of giving the pet dog a ‘juicy bone’ is wryly humorous. For all his grief, the speaker is still alive to reality; the dog has to be dealt with. It is an attempt to gain order out of emotional confusion. 
 Works Cited: “W.H. Auden: 1907-1973.” The Poetry Foundation. Harriet Monroe Poetry Institute. Web. 22 October 2014. 
Funeral Blues Stop all the clocks