ANALYSIS AIR DATE: Sept. 18, 2001

Poetic Response

SUMMARY

Robert Pinsky responds to the tragedy through poetry.

ROBERT PINSKY: Here is one of the many poems that have come to my attention in the time since September 11. One of the themes of these times has been courage. Courage that many have shown and the courage that may be required. Here is Marianne Moore's poem "What Are Years?"

What is our innocence,
what is our guilt? All are
naked, none is safe. And whence

is courage: the unanswered question,
the resolute doubt,-
dumbly calling, deafly listening-that
in misfortune, even death,
encourages others
and in its defeat, stirs

the soul to be strong? He
sees deep and is glad, who
accedes to mortality
and in his imprisonment, rises
upon himself as
the sea in a chasm, struggling to be
free and unable to be,
in its surrendering
finds its continuing.

So he who strongly feels,
behaves. The very bird,
grown taller as he sings, steels
his form straight up. Though he is captive,
his mighty singing
says, satisfaction is a lowly
thing, how pure a thing is joy.
This is mortality,
This is eternity.

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