"In times of joy, all of us wished we possessed a tail we could wag"

This quote by W. H. Auden speaks with the idea that in minutes of delight, all of us dream we might express our happiness in a more concrete method. The concept of having a tail to wag is a metaphor for the desire to reveal our delight in a physical method. It recommends that we frequently feel limited in our ability to reveal our happiness, which having a tail to wag would be a method to more totally reveal our happiness. This quote speaks with the idea that pleasure is often fleeting, and that we want we could catch and reveal it in a more concrete method. It also talks to the idea that delight is often shared, and that having a tail to wag would be a way to share our delight with others. Eventually, this quote speaks with the idea that delight is something to be commemorated and shared, and that having a tail to wag would be a way to do that.