William Williams
William Williams
array art becomes cling close detail devil difficulty direct eternally finality good imagination knowing lie lifting modern natural scientific scrutiny senses sets stands thus value virtual walking works
But the thing that stands eternally in the way of really good writing is always one: the virtual impossibility of lifting to the imagination those things which lie under the direct scrutiny of the senses, close to the nose. It is this difficulty that sets a value upon all works of art and makes them a necessity. The senses witnessing what is immediately before them in detail see a finality which they cling to in despair, not knowing which way to turn. Thus this so-called natural or scientific array becomes fixed, the walking devil of modern life.
disease stop
I think all writing is a disease. You can't stop it.
lies lies-and-lying manner matters secret
It is not what you say that matters but the manner in which you say it; there lies the secret of the ages.
cute-love edge love sweet-love
It is at the edge of a petal that love waits.
blind lives
We are blind and live our blind lives out in blindness.
branches hang leaves tale winter
Some leaves hang late, some fallbefore the first frost--so goesthe tale of winter branches and old bones.
branches fall goes hang leaves tale winter
Some leaves hang late, some fall before the first frost--so goes the tale of winter branches and old bones.
ground perform teach
I will teach you my townspeoplehow to perform a funeralfor you have it over a troopof artists--unless one should scour the world--you have the ground sense necessary.
We will it soand so it ispast all accident.
genius happy shall
Who shall say I am notthe happy genius of my household?
genius happy shall
Who shall say I am not the happy genius of my household?
inside itself shall storm time
Time is a storm in which we are all lost. Only inside the convolutions of the storm itself shall we find our directions.
change discovered exploded forms language living meanings poems thus
Times change and forms and their meanings alter. Thus new poems are necessary. Their forms must be discovered in the living language of their day, or old forms, embodying exploded concepts, will tyrannize over the imagination.
amount ask continued equal frequently interest late medicine nearly reply
When they ask me, as of late they frequently do, how I have for so many years continued an equal interest in medicine and the poem, I reply that they amount for me to nearly the same thing.