“Leap Before You Look“ by W H Auden (poetry reading)

There are many locations called “Lovers’ Leap“. The one at the start is in Chattanooga, the one at the end in La Jolla. On searching for this poem I found it was read on the Colbert Report on 14th April last. The sense of danger must not disappear: The way is certainly both short and steep, However gradual it looks from here; Look if you like, but you will have to leap. Tough-minded men get mushy in their sleep And break the by-laws any fool can keep; It is not the convention but the fear That has a tendency to disappear. The worried efforts of the busy heap, The dirt, the imprecision, and the beer Produce a few smart wisecracks every year; Laugh if you can, but you will have to leap. The clothes that are considered right to wear Will not be either sensible or cheap, So long as we consent to live like sheep And never mention those who disappear. Much can be said for social savoir-faire, But to r