Randall Jarrell

Randall Jarrell (May 6, 1914 – October 14, 1965) was an American poet, literary critic, children's author, essayist, novelist, and the 11th Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, a position that now bears the title Poet Laureate.

Read more about Randall Jarrell:  Life, Writing, Bibliography

Famous quotes by randall jarrell:

    “the rusty
    Pump pumps over your sweating face the clear
    Water, cold, so cold! you cup your hands
    And gulp from them the dailiness of life.”
    —Randall Jarrell (1914–1965)

    “The soul has no assignments, neither cooks
    Nor referees: it wastes its time.
    It wastes its time.”
    —Randall Jarrell (1914–1965)

    “The wild beasts, sparrows pecking the llamas’ grain,
    Pigeons settling on the bears’ bread, buzzards
    Tearing the meat the flies have clouded. . . .”
    —Randall Jarrell (1914–1965)

    “One year
    They sent a million here:
    Here men were drunk like water, burnt like wood.
    The fat of good
    And evil, the breast’s star of hope
    Were rendered into soap.”
    —Randall Jarrell (1914–1965)

    “I wrung from the darkness—that the darkness flung me—
    Is worthless as ignorance: nothing comes from nothing,
    The darkness from the darkness. Pain comes from the darkness
    And we call it wisdom. It is pain.”
    —Randall Jarrell (1914–1965)