In Memory Of W.B. Yeats Comments
I
He disappeared in the dead of winter:
The brooks were frozen, the airports almost deserted,
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It is regrettable that some key stanzas were omitted. One can understand why Auden might have changed his mind, although they are retained in his voice recording of this powerful poem: Time that is intolerant Of the brave and innocent And forgetful in a week Of a beautiful physique Worships language and forgives Everyone through whom it lives Pardons cowardice, conceit Heaps its honours at their feet. Time that with this strange excuse Pardoned Kipling and his views And will pardon Paul Claudel Pardons him, for writing well. Powerful stuff, and Auden lovers (and Yeats lovers) should know it. THe pardo has to do with Yeats's brief (and soon rejected) flirtation with fascism. Patrick Watson
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7/18/2025 7:08:55 PM # 1.0.0
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