The poem, "Law Like Love," by Wystan Auden, deals with the subject of law in a very unique way. Auden uses the two halves of his poem to offer up two different points of view on law, and they act almost as counterpoints to each other. In doing so, Auden comments on the complexity of law. He uses this poem to try to define law, and ends up contradicting the idea that law is definable. Auden uses syntax and a rhyming scheme in his poem to explain in lines 1-34 that law is defined by the individual and in lines 35-60 that law is as undefinable as love.
The first 34 stanzas convey Auden's idea that law is defined by point of view, indicated by syntax and style. Auden provides the definition of law through the point of view of it from various different people. For example, Auden writes, "Law, say the gardeners, is the sun." A farmer or gardener can only do as much as the sun allows them. If there is no sun in a particular period of time, the plants will not grow healthily. If there is much sun, the planters are free to plant as they please. Their lives and their jobs are governed by whatever the sun does in a given time period. Therefore, the sun is the law for them. The sun provides the law for them. However, the sun is not the law for anyone else. Auden later writes, "Law, says the priest. is the words in my priestly book." A priest bases his life off of God and God's word. The Commandments are law for a priest. They live their lives the way God says to live them in the Bible, basing everything they do off of the Lord. Therefore, the Bible is law for them. Their lives are governed based off what the Bible says. This is unique to them. The law is defined to them by their points of view on God and society. Auden goes on to repeat this process. For a judge, the written law by the government officials is law. His point of view on society and life is one that must follow and punish people based on the written man-made laws.
