Ironic Points of Light
Verse nine
Defenseless under the night
Our world in stupor lies;
Yet, dotted everywhere,
Ironic points of light
Flash out wherever the Just
Exchange their messages:
May I, composed like them
Of Eros and of dust,
Beleaguered by the same
Negation and despair,
Show an affirming flame.
September 1, 1939 by W. H. Auden
Enjoyed a cup of coffee at Beans & Leaves yesterday and conversed with a friend. Another friend walked in as we placed our order, and insisted on picking up the tab. It’s Christmas time. Peter and I talked about Auden’s dictum, “we must love one another or die.” We agreed that this is shocking advice, on the surface seeming impossible of achievement. The lyric of the venerable carol says, “the world in solemn stillness lay to hear the angels sing…” From the beginnings perhaps there have been brief interludes of solemn stillness. From Auden’s time in the late 20th century until the present Auden’s words are more descriptive, “Defenseless in the night, Our world in stupor lies.”
There are many ironic points of light though. I see them. The thoughtful conversation with Peter, Reid’s gesture of good will buying the coffee — all were points of light. Am I still, “Beleaguered by the same Negation and despair?” Of course. But I can show an affirming flame.
To conclude I offer this haunting, beautiful tune by the Eagles: The Last Resort. One more point of light.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xp7fh9_the-last-resort-live-the-eagles_music
In a 1987 interview with Rolling Stone, Henley said: “The Last Resort, on Hotel California, is still one of my favorite songs… That’s because I care more about the environment than about writing songs about drugs or love affairs or excesses of any kind. The gist of the song was that when we find something good, we destroy it by our presence – by the very fact that man is the only animal on earth that is capable of destroying his environment. The environment is the reason I got into politics: to try to do something about what I saw as the complete destruction of most of the resources that we have left. We have mortgaged our future for gain and greed.”
