Today, an excerpt from another Auden poem: September 1, 1939:
All I have is a voice
To undo the folded lie,
The romantic lie in the brain
Of the sensual man-in-the-street
And the lie of Authority
Whose buildings grope the sky:
There is no such thing as the State
And no one exists alone;
Hunger allows no choice
To the citizen or the police;
We must love one another or die.Defenceless under the night
Our world in stupor lies;
Yet, dotted everywhere,
Ironic points of light
Flash out wherever the Just
Exchange their messages:
May I, composed like them
Of Eros and of dust,
Beleaguered by the same
Negation and despair,
Show an affirming flame.
There’s something to be said for political optimism, ironic points of light, in pessimistic times.
I don’t think our world is quite as unstable as it was in 1939 (at least not yet!), but still I hope to adopt some part of Auden’s attitude — not because of, but rather in spite of, the world around us.