“Into this neutral air
Where blind skyscrapers use
Their full height to proclaim
The strength of Collective Man,
Each language pours its vain
Competitive excuse.”

— W. H. Auden, September 1, 1939

Source: September 1, 1939 (1939), Lines 34–39

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W. H. Auden122

Anglo-American poet 1907–1973

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