W.H. Auden - SEPTEMBER 1, 1939I sit in one of the divesOn Fifty-second...

SEPTEMBER 1, 1939I sit in one of the divesOn Fifty-second StreetUncertain and afraidAs the clever hopes expireOf a low dishonest decade: Waves of anger and fearCirculate over the brightAnd darkened lands of the earth, Obsessing our private lives; The unmentionable odour of deathOffends the September night. Accurate scholarship canUnearth the whole offenceFrom Luther until nowThat has driven a culture mad, Find what occurred at Linz, What huge imago madeA psychopathic god: I and the public knowWhat all schoolchildren learn, Those to whom evil is doneDo evil in return. Exiled Thucydides knewAll that a speech can sayAbout Democracy, And what dictators do, The elderly rubbish they talkTo an apathetic grave; Analysed all in his book, The enlightenment driven away, The habit-forming pain, Mismanagement and grief: We must suffer them all again. Into this neutral airWhere blind skyscrapers useTheir full height to proclaimThe strength of Collective Man, Each language pours its vainCompetitive excuse: But who can live for longIn an euphoric dream; Out of the mirror they stare, Imperialism's faceAnd the international wrong. Faces along the barCling to their average day: The lights must never go out, The music must always play, All the conventions conspireTo make this fort assumeThe furniture of home; Lest we should see where we are, Lost in a haunted wood, Children afraid of the nightWho have never been happy or good. The windiest militant trashImportant Persons shoutIs not so crude as our wish: What mad Nijinsky wroteAbout DiaghilevIs true of the normal heart; For the error bred in the boneOf each woman and each manCraves what it cannot have, Not universal loveBut to be loved alone. From the conservative darkInto the ethical lifeThe dense commuters come, Repeating their morning vow; 'I will be true to the wife,I'll concentrate more on my work,'And helpless governors wakeTo resume their compulsory game: Who can release them now, Who can reach the dead, Who can speak for the dumb?All I have is a voiceTo undo the folded lie, The romantic lie in the brainOf the sensual man-in-the-streetAnd the lie of AuthorityWhose buildings grope the sky: There is no such thing as the StateAnd no one exists alone; Hunger allows no choiceTo the citizen or the police; We must love one another or die. Defenseless under the nightOur world in stupor lies; Yet, dotted everywhere, Ironic points of lightFlash out wherever the JustExchange their messages: May I, composed like themOf Eros and of dust, Beleaguered by the sameNegation and despair, Show an affirming flame.

W.H. Auden

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SEPTEMBER 1, 1939I sit in one of the divesOn Fifty-second StreetUncertain and afraidAs the clever hopes expireOf a low dishonest decade: Waves of anger and fearCirculate over the brightAnd darkened lands of the earth, Obsessing our private lives; The unmentionable odour of deathOffends the September night. Accurate scholarship canUnearth the whole offenceFrom Luther until nowThat has driven a culture mad, Find what occurred at Linz, What huge imago madeA psychopathic god: I and the public knowWhat all schoolchildren learn, Those to whom evil is doneDo evil in return. Exiled Thucydides knewAll that a speech can sayAbout Democracy, And what dictators do, The elderly rubbish they talkTo an apathetic grave; Analysed all in his book, The enlightenment driven away, The habit-forming pain, Mismanagement and grief: We must suffer them all again. Into this neutral airWhere blind skyscrapers useTheir full height to proclaimThe strength of Collective Man, Each language pours its vainCompetitive excuse: But who can live for longIn an euphoric dream; Out of the mirror they stare, Imperialism's faceAnd the international wrong. Faces along the barCling to their average day: The lights must never go out, The music must always play, All the conventions conspireTo make this fort assumeThe furniture of home; Lest we should see where we are, Lost in a haunted wood, Children afraid of the nightWho have never been happy or good. The windiest militant trashImportant Persons shoutIs not so crude as our wish: What mad Nijinsky wroteAbout DiaghilevIs true of the normal heart; For the error bred in the boneOf each woman and each manCraves what it cannot have, Not universal loveBut to be loved alone. From the conservative darkInto the ethical lifeThe dense commuters come, Repeating their morning vow; 'I will be true to the wife,I'll concentrate more on my work,'And helpless governors wakeTo resume their compulsory game: Who can release them now, Who can reach the dead, Who can speak for the dumb?All I have is a voiceTo undo the folded lie, The romantic lie in the brainOf the sensual man-in-the-streetAnd the lie of AuthorityWhose buildings grope the sky: There is no such thing as the StateAnd no one exists alone; Hunger allows no choiceTo the citizen or the police; We must love one another or die. Defenseless under the nightOur world in stupor lies; Yet, dotted everywhere, Ironic points of lightFlash out wherever the JustExchange their messages: May I, composed like themOf Eros and of dust, Beleaguered by the sameNegation and despair, Show an affirming flame. W.H. Auden

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september 1939i sit diveson fifty- streetuncertain afraidas clever hopes expireof low dishonest decade waves anger fearcirculate brightand darkened lands earth obsessing private lives unmentionable odour deathoffends night accurate scholarship canunearth offencefrom luther nowthat driven culture mad find occurred linz huge imago madea psychopathic god public knowwhat schoolchildren learn evil donedo return exiled thucydides knewall speech sayabout democracy dictators elderly rubbish talkto apathetic grave analysed book enlightenment habit-forming pain mismanagement grief suffer neutral airwhere blind skyscrapers usetheir full height proclaimthe strength collective man language pours vaincompetitive excuse live longin euphoric dream mirror stare imperialism' faceand international wrong faces barcling average day lights music play conventions conspireto make fort assumethe furniture home lost haunted wood children afraid nightwho happy good windiest militant trashimportant persons shoutis crude nijinsky wroteabout diaghilevis true normal heart error bred boneof woman mancraves universal lovebut loved conservative darkinto ethical lifethe dense commuters repeating morning vow ' wife concentrate work helpless governors waketo resume compulsory game release reach dead speak dumb voiceto undo folded lie romantic brainof sensual man- - -streetand authoritywhose buildings grope sky thing stateand exists hunger choiceto citizen police love die defenseless nightour world stupor lies dotted ironic points lightflash justexchange messages composed themof eros dust beleaguered samenegation despair show affirming flame

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