“Columbus and his men, they say, Conveyed the virus hither Whereby my features rot away And vital powers wither; Yet had they not traversed the seas And come infected back, Why, think of all the luxuries That modern life would lack.” ThinkingMenSeaModernLuxuryFeaturesModern LifeVirusesColumbus Author:Richard Wilbur
“Try to remember this: what you project Is what you will perceive; what you perceive With any passion, be it love or terror, May take on whims and powers of its own. Therefore a numb and grudging circumspection Will serve you best - unless you overdo it, Watching your step too narrowly, refusing To specify a world, shrinking your purview To a tight vision of your inching shoes, Which may, as soon as you come to think, be crossing An unseen gorge upon a rotten trestle.” ThinkingWorldTryingMayRememberPassionVisionStepsProjectsShoesTerrorPerceiveUnseenRottenCrossingsNumbWhimShrinkingGorgesCircumspection Book:Collected Poems 1943-2004 Source: Collected Poems 1943-2004
“I would feel dead if I didn't have the ability periodically to put my world in order with a poem. I think to be inarticulate is a great suffering, and is especially so to anyone who has a certain knack for poetry.” IfsThinkingWorldFeelsCertainSufferingOrderAbilityKnackInarticulate Author:Richard Wilbur
