* Marianne Moore, “Silence”: the 1925 text, whose glass-hard “nor” was later replaced by “or.”
passionflower butterfly
What it is to come within her range of perception
Denn das Schöne ist nichts
als das Schrecklichen Anfang, den wir noch grade ertragen,
und wir bewundern es so, weil es gelassen verschmäht,
uns zu zerstören. Ein jeder Engel ist schrecklich.
Petal: touched
Drink deep or taste not
Two things to know about her
1. Because she takes note, she becomes note.
2. We perceive the noteworthy as a double fascination: the transcriptionist’s fascination with her body in the act of submitting to the body of her note, and our submission to her body as it dances out its fascination.
Flying body
He took it all in, and the more he took it the more it seemed to suffice.
Her cloak
Within her in the light are layers
Patio
