The poem examines limitations—particularly in relationship to suffering. The human capacity for empathy is eclipsed by the ability to ignore uncomfortable realities. Extraordinary events occur offstage, out of the spotlight, and in the middle of everyday lives when people are “just walking dully along” (Line 4). It is easy to turn inward, to filter out our surroundings, and to get weighed down with personal concerns—the “somewhere to get to” (Line 21).

Individual perspective, in its own inherent limitations, also places limits on empathy and understanding. The children aren’t united with the aged “reverently, passionately waiting / For the miraculous birth” (Lines 5-6). They are too busy living, and perhaps their elders are too busy waiting to see what’s happening in the now.

One of the questions driving the poem is what the speaker is going to do about it. He recognizes the limitations and sees the suffering in the paintings. Whether he will carry that knowledge out into the world isn’t certain, but there’s hope he—or the readers of the poem—won’t leave the museum untouched.

“Musée des Beaux Arts” explores how deeply violence permeates human history and culture. The poem opens by invoking the “Old Masters” (Line 2), insisting “[a]bout suffering they were never wrong” (Line 1).