Base Words Are Uttered
Base Words Are Uttered - meaning Summary
Truth Versus Flattering Speech
Auden contrasts bluntly honest speech with lofty-sounding platitudes, arguing that crude, base words reveal their source immediately, while noble-sounding rhetoric requires careful judgment. The poem warns that flattering or elevated language can be produced by insincere or "base" speakers who have merely learned to succeed verbally. It asks readers to distinguish genuine moral voice from artful imitation and to be wary of style that conceals lack of substance.
Read Complete AnalysesBase 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.
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