James Merrill

Arthur Young's Reflexive Universe - fascinating but too schematic to fit into my scheme. The most I could hope for was a sense of the vocabulary and some possible images. ↗

— James Merrill

#could #fascinating #fit #hope #i

At college I'd seen my dead frog's limbs twitch under some applied stimulus or other - seen, but hadn't believed. Didn't dream of thinking beyond or around what I saw. ↗

— James Merrill

#around #believed #beyond #college #dead

Before trying a novel I wrote a couple of plays. ↗

— James Merrill

#couple #i #novel #plays #trying

But those two plays left me on fresh terms with language. I didn't always have to speak in my own voice. ↗

— James Merrill

#fresh #i #language #left #me

He puts his right hand lightly on the cup, I put my left, leaving the right free to transcribe, and away we go. We get, oh, 500 to 600 words an hour. Better than gasoline. ↗

— James Merrill

#better #cup #free #gasoline #get

I'd like to think the scientists need us - but do they? Did Newton need Blake? ↗

— James Merrill

#did #i #like #need #newton

In life, there are no perfect affections. ↗

— James Merrill

#life #perfect

Knowing some Greek helped defuse forbidding words - not that I counted much on using them. You'll find only trace elements of this language in the poem. ↗

— James Merrill

#elements #find #forbidding #greek #helped

Strange about parents. We have such easy access to them and such daunting problems of communication. ↗

— James Merrill

#access #communication #daunting #easy #easy access

The simplest science book is over my head. ↗

— James Merrill

#head #over #science #simplest