Category Archives: auden

W.H. Auden, “First Things First”

With thanks to Deandra Lieberman First Things First (from The Poetic Quotidian) W.H. Auden Woken, I lay in the arms of my own warmth and listened To a storm enjoying its storminess in the winter dark Till my ear, as it can when half-asleep or half-sober, Set to work to unscramble that interjectory uproar, Construing

W.H. Auden, “The Fall of Rome”

The Fall of Rome (from poets.org) W.H. Auden The piers are pummelled by the waves; In a lonely field the rain Lashes an abandoned train; Outlaws fill the mountain caves. Fantastic grow the evening gowns; Agents of the Fisc pursue Absconding tax-defaulters through The sewers of provincial towns. Private rites of magic send The temple

Eros and Violence: On Auden’s "Jumbled in the common box…"

“Jumbled in the common box…” W.H. Auden Jumbled in the common box Of their dark stupidity, Orchid, swan, and Caesar lie; Time that tires of everyone Has corroded all the locks, Thrown away the key for fun. In its cleft the torrent mocks Prophets who in days gone by Made a profit on each cry,

Is It Possible To Insist On A More Thoughtful Politics?

What is below are merely notes. I have a few ideas and this is a groping for a quick and dirty solution to the question. I am more than willing to take all of this back and advance something more subtle later. Certainty, fidelity On the stroke of midnight pass Like vibrations of a bell,

The Distance of Love: On Auden’s "Are You There?"

Originially published 2006-06-07. Are You There? W.H. Auden Each lover has some theory of his own About the difference between the ache Of being with his love, and being alone: Why what, when dreaming, is dear flesh and bone That really stirs the senses, when awake, Appears a simulacrum of his own. Narcissus disbelieves in

A Thought on Auden’s “The More Loving One”

The More Loving One W.H. Auden Looking up at the stars, I know quite well That, for all they care, I can go to hell, But on earth indifference is the least We have to dread from man or beast. How should we like it were stars to burn With a passion for us we

Tyrannical Ambition: On Auden’s "Epitaph On A Tyrant"

Originally composed and published 2005-12-23. Epitaph On A Tyrant W.H. Auden Perfection, of a kind, was what he was after, And the poetry he invented was easy to understand; He knew human folly like the back of his hand, And was greatly interested in armies and fleets; When he laughed, respectable senators burst with laughter,

Either Wisdom, or "Love:" "Ganymede," by W.H. Auden

Ganymede W.H. Auden He looked in all His wisdom from the throne Down on that humble boy who kept the sheep, And sent a dove; the dove returned alone: Youth liked the music, but soon fell asleep. But He had planned such future for the youth: Surely, His duty now was to compel. For later

Musee des Beaux Arts

First published 7.13.03 at another blog of mine. Musee des Beaux Arts W.H. Auden About suffering they were never wrong, The Old Masters: how well they understood Its human position; how it takes place While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along; How when the aged are reverently, passionately