Auden writes (in Twelve Songs): Dear, though the night is gone, Its dream still haunts to-day, That brought us to a room Cavernous, lofty as A railway terminus, And crowded in that gloom Were beds, and we in one In a far corner lay. Our whisper woke no clocks, We kissed and I was glad At everything you did, Indifferent to those Who sat with hostile eyes In pairs on every bed, Arms round each other's necks, Inert and vaguely sad. What hidden worm of guilt Or what malignant doubt Am I the victim of, That you, then, unabashed, Did what I never wished, Confessed another love; And I, submissive, felt Unwanted and went out. James Fenton comments (in _The Strength of Poetry_ [which is terrific]): Our pronouns have preserved a tact which allows Auden to write a poem in this way without specifying what sexes are involved. I don't know if this has been commented on yet, but at the end of _TLOCB_ Chapter 64, Grassfog and Iatha have a conversation about "the social niceties" and belonging. It occurs to me that while Grassfog is probably male (pg. 161), and at least one of Thong and Iatha is probably female (pg. 131), there's a fair chance that Grassfog and Iatha are a same-sex couple. And maybe we have met others who grammar veiled. vaguely topical p.s.: In the "way to ruin a compliment" dept., my new girlfriend said to me, "You're so much better in bed than my last boyfriend. I think he's probably actually gay."