Who said “Proper names are poetry in the raw. Like all poetry they are untranslatable.”?

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W. H. Auden. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceA Certain World: A Commonplace Book (1970), "Names, Proper"

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“Proper names are poetry in the raw. Like all poetry they are untranslatable.”
— W. H. Auden
VerifiedA Certain World: A Commonplace Book (1970), "Names, Proper" · evidenceNames
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Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: A Certain World: A Commonplace Book (1970), "Names, Proper".

APA

Auden, W. H. (n.d.). Proper names are poetry in the raw. Like all poetry they are untranslatable. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/21350-proper-names-are-poetry-in-the-raw-like/

MLA

Auden, W. H. “Proper names are poetry in the raw. Like all poetry they are untranslatable.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/21350-proper-names-are-poetry-in-the-raw-like/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Auden, W. H. “Proper names are poetry in the raw. Like all poetry they are untranslatable.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/21350-proper-names-are-poetry-in-the-raw-like/.

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