“Base words are uttered only by the base
And can for such at once be understood;
But noble platitudes — ah, there's a case
Where the most careful scrutiny is needed
To tell a voice that's genuinely good
From one that's base but merely has succeeded.”

—  W. H. Auden

Base words are uttered (1940), lines 1–5

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W. H. Auden photo
W. H. Auden 122
Anglo-American poet 1907–1973

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