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.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Schwartz depicts the quiet transition of morning and the confusion of waking, linking it to the mystery of beginnings and history.
- In plain terms
- Morning arrives softly, reminding us of how beginnings feel mysterious and hard.
- What can you take from it?
- Notice the mystery in everyday starts.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is every morning a beginning?
- What is history's weight?
Another view
The connection between morning and history is tenuous.
More from Delmore Schwartz
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Permalink to quote #4 Each minute bursts in the burning room, The great globe reels in the solar fire, Spinning the trivial and unique away. (How all things flash! How all things fl…
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