Delmore Schwartz quotes
Delmore Schwartz was an American poet, short story writer, and literary critic known for his profound influence on mid-20th-century literature. His works often explored themes of identity, existential anxiety, and the complexities of modern life. He became a mentor to younger writers and left a lasting mark on American poetry and prose. Here are 20 of his quotes:
A car coughed, starting. Morning softly
Melting the air, lifted the half-covered chair
From underseas, kindled the looking-glass,
Distinguished the dresser and the white wall.
The bird called tentatively, whistled, called,
Bubbled and whistled, so! Perplexed, still wet
With sleep, affectionate, hungry and cold. So, so,
O son of man, the ignorant night, the travail
Of early morning, the mystery of the beginning
Again and again,
while history is unforgiven.
Delmore Schwartz
But this, this which we say before we're sorry,
This which we live behind our unseen faces,
Is neither dream, nor childhood, neither
Myth, nor landscape, final, nor finished,
For we are incomplete and know no future,
And we are howling or dancing out our souls
In beating syllables before the curtain:
We are Shakespearean, we are strangers.
Delmore Schwartz