Hunger allows no choice

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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.

- W. H. Auden: excerpt from "September 1, 1939", in Another Time, published by Random House. Copyright © 1940 W. H. Auden, renewed by The Estate of W. H. Auden.

One crowded hour

Sound, sound the clarion, fill the fife!
Throughout the sensual world proclaim,
One crowded hour of glorious life
Is worth an age without a name.

Thomas Osbert Mordaunt (1730-1809), The Call.

Promises to keep

These woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.

Stopping by woods on a snowy evening

What about the poem? People argue about what it means. Some critics say there is a deathwish in it, in reference to the fact that he has left the main road, is trespassing and heading toward the frozen lake.

Few readers seem to know that Frost himself commented about the poem. It had a very private and personal meaning. Frost had gone to town to buy toys for his children. But what he found was too expensive and other shops were closed. He was out of work and very poor. It was Christmas Eve and his children were eagerly hoping for presents from Santa. He is coming back with an empty wagon. The night has gotten late and he takes a shortcut. It is the darkest evening of the year, not only because of the calendar, but because of his great sadness. He stops for a moment with his horse as his one companion, although the poor animal cannot understand what is wrong. The man’s promises to keep are with his family. No matter how bad he feels, he cannot die and he cannot run away. They are depending upon him.

Father Joe: Miles to Go Before I Sleep. Excerpt. Father Joe is a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Washington, DC.

The twisting lane

Those who pursue me taking a twisting lane
To find themselves immediately alone
With savage water or unfeeling stone,
In labrynths where they must entertain
Confusion, cripples, tigers, thunder, pain.

W.H. Auden: For the Time Being.

Source: Tony Parker, The Twisting Lane: some sex offenders. London: Panther Modern Society edn, 1970 (epigraph).