On the Circuit
by W. H. Auden
Among pelagian travelers，

Lost on their lewd conceited way

To Massachusetts， Michigan，

Miami or L.A.，

An airborne instrument I sit，

Predestined nightly to fulfill

Columbia-Giesen-Management's

Unfathomable will，

By whose election justified，

I bring my gospel of the Muse

To fundamentalists， to nuns，

to Gentiles and to Jews，

And daily， seven days a week，

Before a local sense has jelled，

From talking-site to talking-site

Am jet-or-prop-propelled.

Though warm my welcome everywhere，

I shift so frequently， so fast，

I cannot now say where I was

The evening before last，

Unless some singular event

Should intervene to save the place，

A truly asinine remark，

A soul-bewitching face，

Or blessed encounter， full of joy，

Unscheduled on the Giesen Plan，

With， here， an addict of Tolkien，

There， a Charles Williams fan.

Since Merit but a dunghill is，

I mount the rostrum unafraid：

Indeed， 'twere damnable to ask

If I am overpaid.

Spirit is willing to repeat

Without a qualm the same old talk，

But Flesh is homesick for our snug

Apartment in New York.

A sulky fifty-six， he finds

A change of mealtime utter hell，

Grown far too crotchety to like

A luxury hotel.

The Bible is a goodly book

I always can peruse with zest，

But really cannot say the same

For Hilton's Be My Guest.

Nor bear with equanimity

The radio in students' cars，

Muzak at breakfast， or--dear God！--

Girl-organists in bars.

Then， worst of all， the anxious thought，

Each time my plane begins to sink

And the No Smoking sign comes on：

What will there be to drink？

Is this my milieu where I must

How grahamgreeneish！ How infra dig！

Snatch from the bottle in my bag

An analeptic swig？

Another morning comes： I see，

Dwindling below me on the plane，

The roofs of one more audience

I shall not see again.

God bless the lot of them， although

I don't remember which was which：

God bless the U.S.A.， so large，