The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations Preface

To the citizen or the police;
We must love one another or die.
‘September 1, 1939’ (1940)
Out of the air a voice without a face
Proved by statistics that some cause was just
In tones as dry and level as the place.
‘The Shield of Achilles’ (1955)
Sir, no man’s enemy, forgiving all
But will his negative inversion, be prodigal:
Send to us power and light, a sovereign touch
Curing the intolerable neutral itch,
The exhaustion of weaning, the liar’s quinsy,
And the distortions of ingrown virginity.
‘Sir, No Man’s Enemy’ (1955)
Harrow the house of the dead; look shining at
New styles of architecture, a change of heart.
‘Sir, No Man’s Enemy’ (1955)
Tomorrow for the young the poets exploding like bombs,
The walks by the lake, the weeks of perfect communion;
Tomorrow the bicycle races
Through the suburbs on summer evenings. But today the struggle.
‘Spain’ (1937) p. 11
The stars are dead. The animals will not look:
We are left alone with our day, and the time is short, and
History to the defeated
May say Alas but cannot help nor pardon.
‘Spain’ (1937) p. 12
In a garden shady this holy lady
With reverent cadence and subtle psalm,
Like a black swan as death came on
Poured forth her song in perfect calm:
And by ocean’s margin this innocent virgin
Constructed an organ to enlarge her prayer,
And notes tremendous from her great engine
Thundered out on the Roman air.
Blonde Aphrodite rose up excited,
Moved to delight by the melody,
White as an orchid she rode quite naked
In an oyster shell on top of the sea.
‘Three Songs for St Cecilia’s Day’ (1941); set to music by Benjamin Britten, to whom it was dedicated, as