Relationship between "Musee des Beaux Arts", a poem by WH Auden, and "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus", a painting by Pieter Brueghel

The first time I read the poem "Musee des Beaux Arts", by W.H. Auden, I was under the impression that the poem was a simple interpretation of a painting. In order to fully grasp the significance of the poem, I suggest that one become familiar with the history behind not only the myth of Icarus, but also Pieter Brueghel the Elder's painting, "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus". A thorough background allowed me to …

…world, but also his resignation that the world will never change. However, the literary value of the poem is lost without a personal analysis of Brueghel's painting as a guide. NOTE: I found much of this interpretation on the internet. Who could think of this stuff? It is not word for word, but I would still reword some things (reluctance to acknowldge or sympathize with suffering, tiny pair of white legs in the turquoise water)