preludes

The title of the poem itself, "Preludes," already contains a reference to chronological time. A prelude is something that comes before ("pre") the main action ("lude," play or action).

Each of the preludes is set at a particular time of day. In the first prelude this is precise: six o’clock. Clock time relates to other types of time in the poem such as the time of year—winter, when it gets dark early. The lighting of the lamps suggests one way that city life goes contrary to nature: it’s an artificial way to continue daylight beyond its natural course, to supercede a diurnal cycle with modern technology. The mechanical nature of clock time determines the way that people move and relate in urban life. The poem’s focus on disembodied feet and hands performing repetitive actions could also be a reference to the hands of a clock. There is also a judgement in the poem about the quality of life lived in the context of industrial time: “The burnt-out ends of smoky days” is a metaphor, which compares the time of day to the ashes of a cigarette butt. So: life in the city is filled with smoke, and ends in exhaustion.