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Authors:
James Merrill Quotes

James Merrill quotes

American Poet March 3, 1926 – February 6, 1995

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Quotes

James Merrill quote: "In life, there are no perfect affections."
In life, there are no perfect affections. James Merrill
Lost, is it, buried? One more missing piece? But nothing's lost. Or else: all is translation And every bit of us is lost in it (Or found — I wander through the ruin of S Now and then, wondering at the peacefulness) And in that loss a self-effacing tree, Color of context, imperceptibly Rustling with its angel, turns the waste To shade and fiber, milk and memory. James Merrill
Arthur Young's Reflexive Universe - fascinating but too schematic to fit into my scheme. The most I could hope for was a sense of the vocabulary and some possible images. James Merrill
At college I'd seen my dead frog's limbs twitch under some applied stimulus or other - seen, but hadn't believed. Didn't dream of thinking beyond or around what I saw. James Merrill
Beneath my incredulity All at once is flowing. Joy, the flash of the unbaited hook --Yes, yes, it fits, it's right, it had to be! Intuition weightless and ongoing Like stanzas in a book. Or golden scales in the melodic brook -- James Merrill
Nor do I try to keep a garden, only. An avocado in a glass of water --Roots pallid, gemmed with air. And later, When the small gilt leaves have grown. Fleshy and green, I let them die, yes, yes, And start another. I am earth's no less. James Merrill
He puts his right hand lightly on the cup, I put my left, leaving the right free to transcribe, and away we go. We get, oh, 500 to 600 words an hour. Better than gasoline. James Merrill
James Merrill quote: "Strange about parents. We have such easy access to them and..."
Strange about parents. We have such easy access to them and such daunting problems of communication. James Merrill
James Merrill quote: "Before trying a novel I wrote a couple of plays."
Before trying a novel I wrote a couple of plays. James Merrill
And, as I have said, it's made me think twice about the imagination. If the spirits aren't external, how astonishing the mediums become! Victor Hugo said of his voices that they were like his own mental powers multiplied by five. James Merrill
James Merrill quote: "The simplest science book is over my head."
The simplest science book is over my head. James Merrill
Knowing some Greek helped defuse forbidding words - not that I counted much on using them. You'll find only trace elements of this language in the poem. James Merrill
James Merrill quote: "I'd like to think the scientists need us - but do they? Did..."
I'd like to think the scientists need us - but do they? Did Newton need Blake? James Merrill
James Merrill quote: "The day is breaking someone else's heart."
The day is breaking someone else's heart. James Merrill
James Merrill quote: "But those two plays left me on fresh terms with language. I..."
But those two plays left me on fresh terms with language. I didn't always have to speak in my own voice. James Merrill

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