Musee Des Beaux Arts

Meaning:

Auden parallelizes ordinary events (first stanza) and exaordinary one (second stanza) to describe that life goes on while a “miraculous birth occurs”, but also while “the disaster”of Icarus' death happens.

Background info:

Icarus was a Greek mythological figure, also known as the son of Daedalus (famous for the Labyrinth of Crete). Now Icarus and his dad were stuck in Crete, because the King of Crete wouldn't let them leave. Daedalus made some wings for the both of them and gave his son instruction on how to fly (not too close to the sea, the water will soak the wings, and not too close to the sky, the sun will melt them). Icarus, however, appeared to be obstinate and did fly to close to the sun. This caused the wax that held his wings to his body to melt. Icarus crashed into the sea and died.

Analysis:

1. Human suffering-
“miraculous birth”, “the tragedy” of a death 
2. The poem suggests a religious acceptance of suffering. Religious acceptance basically means coming to terms with the ways of the world.

Sources:

http://poetrypages.lemon8.nl/life/musee/museebeauxarts.htm

http://essay.studyarea.com/frame.php?url=http://www.123student.com/english/1639.shtml