William Stafford
William Stafford
Prolific American poet and 1970 U.S. Poet Laureate who won the National Book Award for Traveling Through the Dark. His numerous other works include In the Clock of Reason, Brother Wind, Passwords, and Wyoming Circuit.
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth17 January 1914
CountryUnited States of America
current exactly hold miles river silent stillness turn
You and I can turn and lookat the silent river and wait. We knowthe current is there, hidden; and thereare comings and goings from miles awaythat hold the stillness exactly before us.What the river says, that is what I say.
ask hate ice love mistakes river slow strongest time tried
Some time when the river is ice ask memistakes I have made. Ask me whetherwhat I have done is my life. Othershave come in their slow way intomy thought, and some have tried to helpor to hurt: ask me what differencetheir strongest love or hate has made.
ask difference hate help ice love mistakes others river slow strongest time tried whether
Some time when the river is ice ask me mistakes I have made. Ask me whether what I have done is my life. Others have come in their slow way into my thought, and some have tried to help or to hurt: ask me what difference their strongest love or hate has made.
rivers topics kind
I keep following this sort of hidden river of my life, you know, whatever the topic or impulse which comes, I follow it along trustingly. And I don't have any sense of its coming to a kind of crescendo, or of its petering out either. It is just going steadily along.
rivers waiting silence
You and I can turn and look at the silent river and wait. We know the current is there, hidden; and there are comings and goings from miles away that hold the stillness exactly before us. What the river says, that is what I say.
contend evidence living
I am a person a dictionary-maker has to contend with. I am a living evidence in the development of language.
butterfly discovery embrace emerging experience
I embrace emerging experience.I participate in discovery.I am a butterfly.I am not a butterfly collector.I want the experience of the butterfly.
corner faint interest poetry prepared side straight worse
Poetry is the kind of thing you have to see from the corner of your eye. You can be too well prepared for poetry. A conscientious interest in it is worse than no interest at all. . . . It's like a very faint star. If you look straight at it you can't see it, but if you look a little to one side it is there.
art father lick
Our Father Who art in Heavencan lick their Father Who art in Heaven.
sun
Well, it was yesterday. And the sun came,WhyIt came.
sun
Well, it was yesterday. And the sun came, Why It came.
breathing bring gift respect
Will you ever bring a better gift for the worldthan the breathing respect that you carrywherever you go right now?
hidden name touch william
My name is William Tell:when little oppressions touch mearrows hidden in my cloakwhisper, "Ready, ready.
arrows cloak hidden name touch william
My name is William Tell: when little oppressions touch me arrows hidden in my cloak whisper, "Ready, ready.