Babette Deutsch Quotes

How to sustain the miracle
Of being, that like a muted bell,
Or like some ocean-breathing shell,
Quivers, intense and still?

Poetry is the fiery index to the genius of the age.

Poetry is important. No less than science, it seeks a hold upon reality, and the closeness of its approach is the test of its success.

Who, except the poets, reads poetry?

History
Coming too close
Is monstrous, like a doll
That is alive and bigger than the child
Who tries to hold it.

There is no end to grief. Nor no end to poetry.