E pluribus unum

Constantino Brumidi, 1808-1880Wikimedia Commons, public domainCapitol dome detail: E pluribus UnumA detail from Auden, right for the hour--Follow, poet, follow rightTo the bottom of the night,With your unconstraining voiceStill persuade us to rejoice;With the farming of a verseMake a vineyard of the curse,Sing of human unsuccessIn a rapture of distress;In the deserts of the heartLet the healing