The weather has been awful,
The countryside is dreary,
Marsh, jungle, rock; and echoes mock,
Calling our hope unlawful;
But a silly song can help along
Yours ever and sincerely:
At least we know for certain that we are three old sinners,
That this journey is much too long, that we want our dinners,
And miss our wives, our books, our dogs,
But have only the vaguest idea why we are what we are.
To discover how to be human now
Is the reason we follow this star.
Wystan Hugh Auden (1907–1973) was an English poet, playwright, critic, and librettist who exerted a major influence on the poetry of the 20th century. Auden grew up in Birmingham, England, and was known for his extraordinary intellect and wit. His first book, Poems, was published in 1930 with the help of T. S. Eliot. Just before World War II broke out, Auden emigrated to the United States, where he won the 1948 Pulitzer Prize for The Age of Anxiety. While much of his early work is concerned with moral issues and has a strong political, social, and psychological context, these concerns later gave way to religious and spiritual influences.