Bridge of Sighs a translation from the Italian "Ponte dei sospiri" in the 19th century, comes from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice through the window before being taken down to their cells. In reality, the days of inquisitions and summary executions were over by the time the bridge was built, and the cells under the palace roof were occupied mostly by small-time criminals. In addition, little could be seen from inside the bridge due to the stone grills covering the windows. The name "Bridge of Sighs" has since been applied by association to other bridges
In Praise of Limestone inferior to the spirit. This interpretation is consistent with Auden's many prose statements about the theological importance of the body. The Karst topography of Auden's birthplace, Yorkshire, also contains limestone. Some readings of the poem have thus taken Auden to be describing his own homeland. Auden makes a connection between the two locales in a letter written from Italy in 1948 to Elizabeth Mayer: "I hadn't realized how like Italy is to my 'Mutterland,' the Pennines". The maternal theme in the poem— <poem> </poem> —is a point of entry into the psychoanalytical interpretation of the poem, in which the limestone