{"id":2674,"date":"2005-03-21T15:24:47","date_gmt":"2005-03-21T20:24:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=2674"},"modified":"2015-05-17T07:48:18","modified_gmt":"2015-05-17T11:48:18","slug":"lines-7-and-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=2674","title":{"rendered":"Lines 7 and 8"},"content":{"rendered":"

In honor of World Poetry Day<\/a>, I give to you my favorite poem: “The More Loving One”, by Auden. More thoughts on this poem are in the extended entry – you can just click on that.<\/p>\n

I know my poem by heart, almost like a prayer.<\/p>\n

The More Loving One<\/b><\/p>\n

Looking up at the stars, I know quite well
\nThat, for all they care, I can go to hell,
\nBut on earth indifference is the least
\nWe have to dread from man or beast.<\/p>\n

How should we like it were stars to burn
\nWith a passion for us we could not return?
\nIf equal affection cannot be,
\nLet the more loving one be me.<\/p>\n

Admirer as I am
\nOf stars that do not give a damn,
\nI cannot, now I see them, say
\nI missed one terribly all day.<\/p>\n

Were all stars to disappear or die,
\nI should learn to look at an empty sky
\nAnd feel its total dark sublime,
\nThough this might take me a little time.<\/p>\n

\n

\nMore thoughts below … My relationship to this poem continues to grow, morph, transform. It’s really quite extraordinary.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\nI’ve written about this poem extensively on my blog, in various contexts.<\/p>\n

The doppelganger and I talked about this poem on the night we met (too lazy to find links. Whatever. It was in the middle of the dreaded recount) We were talking about our love for Auden, in general. I got so excited talking about Auden that I stepped into the street without looking and almost got run over. Doppelganger said, “Lines 7 and 8 are certainly words to try <\/i>to live by, anyway.” We were walking through Soho, and it was 2 am, and he remembered the line numbers. You know, it was one of those cool moments. Heart-crackingly cool. Later, when things did not work out with doppelganger-man – I found myself in the position of needing to LIVE “lines 7 and 8”, in terms of my dealings with him. And so lines 7 and 8 became a mantra: “If equal affection cannot be, let the more loving one be me. If equal affection cannot be, let the more loving one be me…” <\/i>Over and over. Strangely enough, the mantra worked. Sort of. Love is a ragged business.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, I agree with doppelganger: Lines 7 and 8 are words to try<\/i> to live by, anyway.<\/p>\n

\n