“Unendowed with wealth or pity,
Little birds with scarlet legs
Sitting on their speckled eggs,
Eye each flu-infected city. Altogether elsewhere, vast
Herds of reindeer move across
Miles and miles of golden moss,
Silently and very fast.”

— W. H. Auden

The Fall of Rome (1947), lines 21–28

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Unendowed with wealth or pity, Little birds with scarlet legs Sitting on their speckled eggs, Eye each flu-infected …" by W. H. Auden?

W. H. Auden 122

Anglo-American poet 1907–1973

Related quotes

“The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over the harbor and city
on silent haunches, and then moves on.”

Carl Sandburg (1878–1967) American writer and editor

"Fog" (1916)

“And then a light winked like an eye.
. . . And very many miles away”

Stephen Vincent Benét (1898–1943) poet, short story writer, novelist

Young Adventure (1918), The Quality of Courage
Context: p>Was it not better so to lie?
The fight was done. Even gods tire
Of fighting... My way was the wrong.
Now I should drift and drift along
To endless quiet, golden peace...
And let the tortured body cease.And then a light winked like an eye.
... And very many miles away
A girl stood at a warm, lit door,
Holding a lamp. Ray upon ray
It cloaked the snow with perfect light.
And where she was there was no night
Nor could be, ever. God is sure,
And in his hands are things secure.</p

“A speckled bird, humbly inspired,
Ran across the road when it could have flown,
And it made me smile.”

Aaron Weiss

O, Porcupine.
Brother, Sister (2006)

“I can't believe anyone would voluntarily run 26 miles. Sometimes I sit on the couch cross-legged because I don't feel like walking to the bathroom.”

Jen Lancaster (1967) American writer

“Telecom was the golden goose which laid the golden egg. The Supreme Court ensured that the golden goose will never lay golden egg again for a little while.”

Kapil Sibal (1948) Indian lawyer and politician

On the Supreme Court's decision to cancel 2G spectrum licences, as quoted in Telecom sector not to lay 'golden egg' for a while, thanks to Supreme Court: Kapil Sibal http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-04-03/news/38248797_1_telecom-sector-golden-egg-apex-court, The Economic Times (3 April 2013)