W. H. Auden Quotations | Page 3

That the speech of self-disclosure should be translatable seems to me very odd, but I am convinced that it is. The conclusion that I draw is that the only quality which all human being without exception possess is uniqueness: any characteristic, on the other hand, which one individual can be recognized as having in common with another, like red hair or the English language, implies the existence of other individual qualities which this classification excludes.

The desires of the heart are as crooked as corkscrews Not to be born is the best for man The second best is a formal order The dance's pattern, dance while you can. Dance, dance, for the figure is easy The tune is catching and will not stop Dance till the stars come down from the rafters Dance, dance, dance till you drop.

Mad Ireland hurt you into poetry.

Each in the cell of himself is almost convinced of his freedom.

The stars are not wanted now, put out every one Pack up the moon & dismantle the sun.

The sky is darkening like a stain Something is going to fall like rain And it won't be flowers

Like love we don't know where or why Like love we cant compel or fly Like Love we often weep Like Love we seldom keep

As readers, we remain in the nursery stage so long as we cannot distinguish between taste and judgment, so long, that is, as the only possible verdicts we can pass on a book are two: this I like; this I don't like. For an adult reader, the possible verdicts are five: I can see this is good and I like it; I can see this is good but I don't like it; I can see this is good and, though at present I don't like it, I believe that with perseverance I shall come to like it; I can see that this is trash but I like it; I can see that this is trash and I don't like it.

Happy the hare at morning, for she cannot read The hunter's waking thoughts.

Drama is based on the Mistake.