Election Year Wisdom from W.H. Auden

If we were never alone or always too busy,
Perhaps we might even believe what we know is not true:
But no one is taken in, at least not all of the time;
In our bath, or the subway, or in the middle of the night,
We know very well we are not unlucky but evil,
That the dream of a Perfect State or No State at all,
To which we fly for refuge, is a part of our punishment.
Let us therefore be contrite but without anxiety,
For Powers and Times are not gods but mortal gifts from God;
Let us acknowledge our defeats but without despair,
For all societies and epochs are transient details,
Transmitting an everlasting opportunity
That the Kingdom of Heaven may come, not in our present
And not in our future, but in the Fullness of Time.
Let us pray.

– For The Time Being; A Christmas Oratorio

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COMMENTS

2 responses to “Election Year Wisdom from W.H. Auden”

1. Abby says:

   01/04/2016 at 9:24 am

   Superb.

   Reply
2. Patricia F. says:

   01/06/2016 at 4:38 pm

   What a great verse.

   I especially like the line: ‘Let us acknowledge our defeats, but without despair’. Oh, I know all about THAT. I’ve lost track of those moments of despair!!

   Thanks for posting this, David.

   Reply