WH Auden reads "The More Loving One"
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- čas přidán 10. 09. 2024
- blogaboutpoetry...
A reading of "The More Loving One" by WH Auden.
The poem in full:
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 could not return?
If equal affection cannot be,
Let the more loving one be me.
Admirer as I think I am
Of stars that do not give a damn,
I cannot, now I see them, say
I missed one terribly all day.
Were all stars to disappear or die,
I should learn to look at an empty sky
And feel its total darkness sublime,
Though this might take me a little time.
The More Loving One
W. H. Auden, 1907 - 1973
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 could not return?
If equal affection cannot be,
Let the more loving one be me.
Admirer as I think I am
Of stars that do not give a damn,
I cannot, now I see them, say
I missed one terribly all day.
Were all stars to disappear or die,
I should learn to look at an empty sky
And feel its total dark sublime,
Though this might take me a little time.
@Angeles Angels
Many thanks!
How powerful those words are.
He did not miss one terribly all day because one was visible. Love this poem.
One of the most perfect modern poems.
Currently listening to this on loop because I have to memorize it and present it in front of my class
One of my favorite poems. Its irony is powerful, its sadness palpable.
Walter Benjamin Can I hear your interpretation of it and what you like about it please?
@@kevinc721 Yes, and thank you for asking. This poem is about unrequited love and the greater good that comes from loving. I hear Auden say it's better to love than be loved. The stars (or the beloved) can be admired and loved unconditionally but they shine for themselves with no thought of anyone who sees them.
That kind of indifference is safer than all the damage that can be done to the loving soul by means of intentional cruelty or outright rejection.
If we have a choice - to love or be loved - Auden chooses the higher path of loving. Yet, in spite of his love, he can survive if the beloved disappears. It would take some adjustment, but he would survive.
There is sorrow in this poem. Auden knows what it is like to not be loved in return, yet he lives on and can endure the loss of love, even though it requires time and healing.
I have always been a lover of the stars and the skies, and I know the sorrow of unrequited love. This poem resonates in a deeply personal way, but I now have the gift of true and unconditional love for many years. Is reciprocated love all the more beautiful because I've suffered and endured the vacuum that Auden calls "darkness sublime"? Perhaps, but "equal affection" sure beats the darkness sublime.
I hope my answer isn't too long. I would be interested in your response to this beautiful poem.
Walter Benjamin Wow, that is such an amazing and beautiful interpretation of it, and I had no idea that he was referring to all of that. And I personally saw a snippet of this poem which was the line, “If equal affection cannot be, let the more loving one be me”, and was completely blown away at how unbelievably beautiful it was, I and really resonated with that myself because I definitely do believe that being the loving one is more important than be the loved. But I didn’t really know much about the rest of the poem until now, thanks to you. I’m curious, is this your favorite poem by him?
@@kevinc721 Thanks for your enthused comment. Yes, this is my favorite Auden so far.
Walter Benjamin Right I see, I agree with you although I don’t know much of his other stuff. Is this your favorite of all time, like including other poems?
The most truthful eloquent poem ever on the pain of unrequited love.
One of the first poems I memorized. Wonderful.
Thanks for the HQ audio :)
Very nice put together. thanks you for the help.
So beautiful
LIMBO CULTURE
The tribes of Limbo, travellers report,
On first encounter seem much like ourselves;
They keep their houses practically clean,
Their watches round about a standard time,
They serve you almost appetising meals:
But no one says he saw a Limbo child.
The language spoken by the tribes of Limbo
Has many words far subtler than our own
To indicate how much, how little, something
Is pretty closely or not quite the case,
But none you could translate by 'Yes' or 'No',
Nor do its pronouns distinguish between Persons.
In tales related by the tribes of Limbo,
Dragon and Knight set to with fang and sword
But miss their rival always by a hair's-breadth,
Old Crone and Stripling pass a crucial point,
She seconds early and He seconds late,
A magic purse mistakes the legal tender.
"And so," runs their concluding formula,
"Prince and Princess are nearly married still."
Why this concern, so marked in Limbo culture,
This love for inexactness? Could it be
A Limbo tribesman only loves himself?
For that, we know, cannot be done exactly.
--- W. H. Auden (1957)
Jugo suave.
God loves you
Deus tenha piedade de você.