Quote #31

Beauty is momentary in the mind - The fitful tracing of a portal; But in the flesh it is immortal. The body dies; the body's beauty lives. So evenings die, in their green going, A wave, interminably flowing. So gardens die, their meek breath scenting The cowl of winter, done repenting. So maidens die, to the auroral Celebration of a maiden's choral.

More from Wallace Stevens

  1. Susanna's music touched the bawdy strings Of those white elders; but, escaping, Left only Death's ironic scraping. Now, in its immortality,…
  2. A breath upon her hand Muted the night. She turned - A cymbal crashed, Amid roaring horns.
  3. After the final no there comes a yes And on that yes the future world depends. No was the night. Yes is this present sun.
  4. She walked upon the grass, Still quavering. The winds were like her maids, On timid feet, Fetching her woven scarves, Yet wavering.
  5. One thing remaining, infallible, would be Enough.
  6. Upon the bank, she stood In the cool Of spent emotions. She felt, among the leaves, The dew Of old devotions.
  7. Out of a thing believed, a thing affirmed: The form on the pillow humming while one sleeps, The aureole above the humming house... It can n…
  8. In the green water, clear and warm, Susanna lay. She searched The touch of springs, And found Concealed imaginings. She sighed, For so much…

All Wallace Stevens quotes