H. Auden
H. Auden
wish refuse
All wishes, whatever their apparent content, have the same and unvarying meaning: "I refuse to be what I am.
kissing would-be necks
Marriage is rarely bliss But, surely it would be worse As particles to pelt At thousands of miles per sec About a universe In which a lover's kiss Would either not be felt Or break the loved one's neck.
happiness
No being can make another one happy.
compassion evil return
Those to whom evil is doneDo evil in return.
funny science simple
Of course, Behaviourism 'works'. So does torture. Give me a no-nonsense, down-to-earth behaviourist, a few drugs, and simple electrical appliances, and in six months I will have him reciting the Athanasian Creed in public.
math winning peers
How happy the lot of the mathematician. He is judged solely by his peers, and the standard is so high that no colleague or rival can ever win a reputation he does not deserve.
optimistic simple hard
To ask the hard question is simple.
silly interesting listening
Who on earth invented the silly convention that it is boring or impolite to talk shop? Nothing is more interesting to listen to, especially if the shop is not one's own.
hero aces pilots
The closest modern equivalent to the Homeric hero is the ace fighter pilot.
writing interesting suffering
Our sufferings and weaknesses, in so far as they are personal, are of no literary interest whatsoever. They are only interesting in so far as we can see them as typical of the human condition.
facts firsts get-up
Get up very early and get going at once. In fact, work first and wash afterwards.
cancer men fire
Nobody knows what the cause is, though some pretend they do; it like some hidden assassin waiting to strike at you. Childless women get it, and men when they retire; it as if there had to be some outlet for their foiled creative fire.
poetry professors poetry-is
What is a Professor of Poetry? How can poetry be professed?
funny-life helping-others earth
We are all here on earth to help others.