The poem was W.H. Auden’s. The date marked the moment when GerÂmany invadÂed Poland, iniÂtiÂatÂing the start of World War II. “SepÂtemÂber 1, 1939” was origÂiÂnalÂly pubÂlished in The New RepubÂlic on OctoÂber 18, 1939. You can find the text of the poem here. Plus, you can also read George Orwell’s account of what hapÂpened that hisÂtoric day in Poland. I found it, and just had to throw that in.
