W.H. Auden's "September 1, 1939" was first published in the October 18, 1939, edition of The New Republic, before being included in the poet's collection Another Time. Written upon the outbreak of World War II, the poem captures feelings of fear and uncertainty in the face of fascism and war—as well as glimmers of hope that people might come together to counter authoritarianism. It is one of Auden's most well-known poems, and widely considered one of the greatest poems of the 20th century; ironically, however, the poet himself grew to despise it. Despite his disavowal of the poem, "September 1, 1939" remains a text to which people turn in times of crisis, including, famously, in the aftermath of September 11, 2001.

• Read the full text of “September 1, 1939”

• “September 1, 1939” Summary

• “September 1, 1939” Themes

  • 

    State Authority vs. Individual Responsibility

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-99
  • 

    Love, Connection, and Justice

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 4-8
    • Lines 12-33
    • Lines 59-66
    • Lines 75-77
    • Lines 78-88
    • Lines 91-99
  • 

    The Repetition of History

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 12-33
    • Lines 45-55
    • Lines 78-82
    • Lines 89-94

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “September 1, 1939”

  • Lines 1-5

    I sit in ...
    ... low dishonest decade:

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 6-11

    Waves of anger ...
    ... the September night.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 12-15

    Accurate scholarship can ...
    ... a culture mad,

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 16-22

    Find what occurred ...
    ... evil in return.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 23-28

    Exiled Thucydides knew ...
    ... an apathetic grave;

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 29-33

    Analysed all in ...
    ... them all again.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 34-39

    Into this neutral ...
    ... Competitive excuse:

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 40-44

    But who can ...
    ... the international wrong.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 45-48

    Faces along the ...
    ... must always play,

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 49-55

    All the conventions ...
    ... happy or good.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 56-61

    The windiest militant ...
    ... the normal heart;

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 62-66

    For the error ...
    ... be loved alone.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 67-74

    From the conservative ...
    ... their compulsory game:

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 75-77

    Who can release ...
    ... for the dumb?

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 78-83

    All I have ...
    ... grope the sky:

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 84-88

    There is no ...
    ... another or die.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 89-94

    Defenceless under the ...
    ... Exchange their messages:

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 95-99

    May I, composed ...
    ... an affirming flame.

    

    

    

    

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• “September 1, 1939” Symbols

  • 

    Skyscrapers

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “On Fifty-second Street”
    • Lines 34-39: “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:”
    • Lines 82-83: “the lie of Authority / Whose buildings grope the sky:”
  • 

    Light and Darkness

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 10-11: “The unmentionable odour of death / Offends the September night.”
    • Line 30: “The enlightenment driven away,”
    • Lines 52-54: “Lest we should see where we are, / Lost in a haunted wood, / Children afraid of the night”
    • Lines 67-68: “From the conservative dark / Into the ethical life”
    • Lines 89-90: “Defenceless under the night / Our world in stupor lies;”
    • Lines 91-94: “Yet, dotted everywhere, / Ironic points of light / Flash out wherever the Just / Exchange their messages:”
    • Lines 95-99: “May I, composed like them / Of Eros and of dust, / Beleaguered by the same / Negation and despair, / Show an affirming flame.”

• “September 1, 1939” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “second Street”
    • Line 5: “dishonest decade”
    • Lines 21-22: “done / Do”
    • Line 25: “Democracy”
    • Line 26: “dictators do”
    • Line 37: “Collective”
    • Line 39: “Competitive”
    • Line 40: “live,” “long”
    • Line 43: “Imperialism's”
    • Line 44: “international”
    • Line 48: “music must”
    • Line 49: “conventions conspire”
    • Line 50: “fort”
    • Line 51: “furniture”
    • Line 52: “Lest,” “we,” “where we”
    • Line 53: “Lost,” “wood”
    • Line 62: “bred,” “bone”
    • Line 64: “Craves,” “cannot”
    • Line 67: “conservative,” “dark”
    • Line 69: “dense,” “commuters come”
    • Line 71: “wife”
    • Line 72: “work”
    • Line 75: “release”
    • Line 76: “reach,” “deaf”
    • Line 77: “dumb”
    • Line 81: “sensual,” “street”
    • Line 94: “messages”
    • Line 95: “May”
    • Line 96: “dust”
    • Line 98: “despair”
    • Line 99: “affirming flame”

  • Allusion

    

    

    

    

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    Where allusion appears in the poem:

    • Lines 13-15: “the whole offence / From Luther until now / That has driven a culture mad,”
    • Lines 16-18: “what occurred at Linz, / What huge imago made / A psychopathic god”
    • Lines 23-32: “Exiled Thucydides knew / All that a speech can say / About Democracy, / And what dictators do, / The elderly rubbish they talk / To an apathetic grave; / Analysed all in his book, / The enlightenment driven away, / The habit-forming pain, / Mismanagement and grief:”
    • Lines 53-55: “Lost in a haunted wood, / Children afraid of the night / Who have never been happy or good.”
    • Lines 59-61: “What mad Nijinsky wrote / About Diaghilev / Is true of the normal heart;”
    • Line 62: “the error bred in the bone”
    • Lines 76-77: “Who can reach the deaf, / Who can speak for the dumb?”
    • Lines 95-96: “May I, composed like them / Of Eros and of dust,”
    • Line 99: “Show an affirming flame.”

  • Anaphora

    

    

    

    

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    Where anaphora appears in the poem:

    • Lines 75-77: “Who can release them now, / Who can reach the deaf, / Who can speak for the dumb?”

  • Assonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where assonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “sit in”
    • Line 2: “Fifty”
    • Line 5: “decade”
    • Line 6: “Waves,” “anger”
    • Line 9: “private lives”
    • Lines 10-11: “death / Offends”
    • Line 11: “September”
    • Line 20: “learn”
    • Line 21: “to whom”
    • Line 22: “Do,” “return”
    • Line 28: “grave”
    • Line 30: “away”
    • Line 31: “pain”
    • Line 35: “blind skyscrapers”
    • Line 36: “height,” “proclaim”
    • Line 37: “strength,” “Collective”
    • Line 38: “language,” “vain”
    • Line 39: “Competitive excuse”
    • Line 43: “Imperialism's”
    • Line 44: “international”
    • Line 52: “we,” “see,” “we”
    • Line 53: “wood”
    • Line 55: “good”
    • Line 73: “wake”
    • Line 74: “game”
    • Line 75: “release”
    • Line 76: “reach”
    • Line 77: “speak”
    • Lines 97-98: “same / Negation”
    • Line 99: “flame”

  • Asyndeton

    

    

    

    

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    Where asyndeton appears in the poem:

    • Lines 8-9: “darkened lands of the earth, / Obsessing our private lives;”
    • Lines 13-18: “the whole offence / From Luther until now / That has driven a culture mad, / Find what occurred at Linz, / What huge imago made / A psychopathic god:”
    • Lines 26-27: “what dictators do, / The elderly rubbish they talk”
    • Lines 29-32: “Analysed all in his book, / The enlightenment driven away, / The habit-forming pain, / Mismanagement and grief:”
    • Lines 47-51: “The lights must never go out, / The music must always play, / All the conventions conspire / To make this fort assume / The furniture of home;”
    • Lines 52-54: “Lest we should see where we are, / Lost in a haunted wood, / Children afraid of the night”
    • Lines 71-72: “"I will be true to the wife, / I'll concentrate more on my work,"”
    • Lines 95-99: “May I, composed like them / Of Eros and of dust, / Beleaguered by the same / Negation and despair, / Show an affirming flame.”

  • Aporia

    

    

    

    

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    Where aporia appears in the poem:

    • Lines 75-77: “Who can release them now, / Who can reach the deaf, / Who can speak for the dumb?”

  • Consonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where consonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “sit”
    • Line 2: “Fifty-second Street”
    • Line 3: “Uncertain”
    • Line 4: “hopes expire”
    • Line 5: “dishonest decade”
    • Line 8: “And darkened lands”
    • Line 10: “odour,” “death”
    • Line 11: “Offends”
    • Line 23: “Exiled Thucydides”
    • Line 24: “speech,” “can,” “say”
    • Line 25: “Democracy”
    • Line 26: “dictators do”
    • Line 27: “elderly,” “talk”
    • Line 28: “To,” “apathetic”
    • Line 33: “must suffer them”
    • Line 35: “blind skyscrapers”
    • Line 36: “full,” “proclaim”
    • Line 37: “Collective”
    • Line 38: “language”
    • Line 39: “Competitive excuse”
    • Line 40: “can live,” “long”
    • Line 42: “mirror”
    • Line 43: “Imperialism's”
    • Line 48: “music must”
    • Line 49: “conventions conspire”
    • Line 50: “make,” “fort,” “assume”
    • Line 51: “furniture,” “home”
    • Line 52: “Lest,” “we,” “see,” “where we”
    • Line 53: “Lost,” “haunted,” “wood”
    • Line 56: “windiest militant trash”
    • Line 57: “Important Persons,” “shout”
    • Line 58: “wish”
    • Line 62: “bred,” “bone”
    • Line 64: “Craves,” “cannot,” “have”
    • Line 65: “universal love”
    • Line 67: “conservative dark”
    • Line 68: “ethical life”
    • Line 69: “dense commuters come”
    • Line 70: “morning”
    • Line 71: “true to,” “wife”
    • Line 72: “concentrate,” “work”
    • Line 73: “wake”
    • Line 74: “resume,” “compulsory game”
    • Line 75: “can release”
    • Line 76: “can reach,” “deaf”
    • Line 77: “can speak,” “dumb”
    • Line 79: “undo,” “folded lie”
    • Line 81: “sensual,” “street”
    • Line 84: “State”
    • Line 85: “no one,” “exists,” “alone”
    • Line 87: “citizen,” “police”
    • Line 89: “Defenceless under,” “night”
    • Line 90: “world,” “stupor,” “lies”
    • Line 91: “dotted”
    • Line 92: “light”
    • Line 93: “Flash,” “Just”
    • Line 94: “Exchange,” “messages”
    • Line 95: “May”
    • Line 96: “Eros,” “dust”
    • Line 97: “same”
    • Line 98: “Negation,” “despair”
    • Line 99: “Show,” “affirming flame”

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “dives / On”
    • Lines 2-3: “Street / Uncertain”
    • Lines 3-4: “afraid / As”
    • Lines 4-5: “expire / Of”
    • Lines 6-7: “fear / Circulate”
    • Lines 7-8: “bright / And”
    • Lines 10-11: “death / Offends”
    • Lines 12-13: “can / Unearth”
    • Lines 13-14: “offence / From”
    • Lines 14-15: “now / That”
    • Lines 17-18: “made / A”
    • Lines 19-20: “know / What”
    • Lines 21-22: “done / Do”
    • Lines 23-24: “knew / All”
    • Lines 24-25: “say / About”
    • Lines 27-28: “talk / To”
    • Lines 34-35: “air / Where”
    • Lines 35-36: “use / Their”
    • Lines 36-37: “proclaim / The”
    • Lines 38-39: “ vain / Competitive”
    • Lines 40-41: “long / In”
    • Lines 43-44: “face / And”
    • Lines 45-46: “bar / Cling”
    • Lines 49-50: “conspire / To”
    • Lines 50-51: “assume / The”
    • Lines 54-55: “night / Who”
    • Lines 56-57: “trash / Important”
    • Lines 57-58: “shout / Is”
    • Lines 59-60: “wrote / About”
    • Lines 60-61: “Diaghilev / Is”
    • Lines 62-63: “bone / Of”
    • Lines 63-64: “man / Craves”
    • Lines 65-66: “love / But”
    • Lines 67-68: “dark / Into”
    • Lines 68-69: “life / The”
    • Lines 73-74: “wake / To”
    • Lines 78-79: “voice / To”
    • Lines 80-81: “brain / Of”
    • Lines 81-82: “man-in-the-street / And”
    • Lines 82-83: “Authority / Whose”
    • Lines 84-85: “State / And”
    • Lines 86-87: “choice / To”
    • Lines 89-90: “night / Our”
    • Lines 92-93: “light / Flash”
    • Lines 93-94: “Just / Exchange”
    • Lines 95-96: “them / Of”
    • Lines 97-98: “same / Negation”

  • Imagery

    

    

    

    

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    Where imagery appears in the poem:

    • Lines 6-8: “Waves of anger and fear / Circulate over the bright / And darkened lands of the earth,”
    • Lines 10-11: “The unmentionable odour of death / Offends the September night.”
    • Line 13: “Unearth the whole offence”
    • Lines 34-37: “Into this neutral air / Where blind skyscrapers use / Their full height to proclaim / The strength of Collective Man,”
    • Lines 42-44: “Out of the mirror they stare, / Imperialism's face / And the international wrong.”
    • Lines 45-55: “Faces along the bar / Cling to their average day: / The lights must never go out, / The music must always play, / All the conventions conspire / To make this fort assume / The furniture of home; / Lest we should see where we are, / Lost in a haunted wood, / Children afraid of the night / Who have never been happy or good.”
    • Lines 56-57: “The windiest militant trash / Important Persons shout”
    • Lines 62-64: “For the error bred in the bone / Of each woman and each man / Craves what it cannot have,”
    • Lines 67-69: “From the conservative dark / Into the ethical life / The dense commuters come,”
    • Lines 80-83: “The romantic lie in the brain / Of the sensual man-in-the-street / And the lie of Authority / Whose buildings grope the sky:”
    • Lines 89-94: “Defenceless under the night / Our world in stupor lies; / Yet, dotted everywhere, / Ironic points of light / Flash out wherever the Just / Exchange their messages:”
    • Line 99: “Show an affirming flame.”

  • Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Lines 6-8
    • Lines 10-11
    • Lines 13-15
    • Lines 24-32
    • Lines 34-37
    • Lines 38-39
    • Lines 40-41
    • Lines 42-44
    • Lines 45-55
    • Lines 56-57
    • Lines 62-64
    • Lines 67-69
    • Lines 73-74
    • Lines 75-77
    • Lines 78-83
    • Lines 89-94
    • Lines 95-96
    • Line 99

  • Repetition

    

    

    

    

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    Where repetition appears in the poem:

    • Line 3: “afraid”
    • Line 6: “fear”
    • Lines 21-22: “Those to whom evil is done / Do evil in return.”
    • Line 24: “All that a speech can say”
    • Lines 47-48: “The lights must never go out, / The music must always play,”
    • Line 63: “Of each woman and each man”
    • Lines 65-66: “Not universal love / But to be loved alone.”
    • Lines 75-77: “Who can release them now, / Who can reach the deaf, / Who can speak for the dumb?”
    • Lines 79-80: “To undo the folded lie, / The romantic lie in the brain”
    • Line 82: “the lie of Authority”
    • Line 88: “love ”

• “September 1, 1939” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Dives
  • Expire
  • The whole offence / From Luther until now
  • What occurred at Linz
  • Imago
  • Thucydides
  • Rubbish
  • Apathetic
  • Enlightenment
  • Habit-forming pain
  • Neutral air
  • Proclaim
  • Collective Man
  • Euphoric
  • Imperialism
  • Conventions
  • Conspire
  • Lest
  • Militant
  • Nijinsky and Diaghilev
  • Compulsory
  • Sensual
  • Authority
  • The State
  • Stupor
  • The Just
  • Composed
  • Eros
  • Negation
  • Beleaguered
  • Affirming
  • (Location in poem: Line 1: “dives”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “September 1, 1939”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “September 1, 1939” Speaker

• “September 1, 1939” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “September 1, 1939”

• More “September 1, 1939” Resources

  • External Resources

    • Poems of Protest, Resistance, and Empowerment — A diverse collection of poems often turned to in moments of crisis.

    • Auden's Biography — A detailed account of Auden's life and work from the Poetry Foundation.

    • Archival Auden Material — Scans of primary sources related to Auden's work, including the collection in which the poem was published.

    • The Invasion of Poland — A Time Magazine analysis of the historical context and events at the center of "September 1, 1939."

    • A Reading of "September 1, 1939" — Listen to a recording of poet Dylan Thomas reading the poem aloud.

    • "The right poem for the wrong time" — An article at The Guardian on the persistent legacy of "September 1, 1939," despite the poet's own objections.

  • LitCharts on Other Poems by W. H. Auden

    • As I Walked Out One Evening

    • Epitaph on a Tyrant

    • Funeral Blues (Stop all the clocks)

    • In Memory of W. B. Yeats

    • Lullaby

    • Musée des Beaux Arts

    • Partition

    • Refugee Blues

    • The Capital

    • The More Loving One

    • The Shield of Achilles

    • The Unknown Citizen

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