Classic and Contemporary Poetry
SILENCE, by MARIANNE MOORE Recitation Poem Explanation Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: My father used to say Last Line: Inns are not residences. Subject(s): Animals; Cats; Fathers; Guests; Home; Silence; Visiting | ||||||||
My father used to say, 'Superior people never make long visits, have to be shown Longfellow's grave or the glass flowers at Harvard. Self-reliant like the cat -- that takes its prey to privacy, the mouse's limp tail hanging like a shoelace from its mouth -- they sometimes enjoy solitude, and can be robbed of speech by speech which has delighted them. The deepest feeling always shows itself in silence; not in silence, but restraint'. Nor was he insincere in saying 'Make my house your inn.' Inns are not residences. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...LEDA 2: A NOTE ON VISITATIONS by LUCILLE CLIFTON HELSINKI, 1940 by ANSELM HOLLO THE LOW BLACK SQUARE by ANSELM HOLLO AMUSING OUR DAUGHTERS by CAROLYN KIZER POET AND PERSON by DENISE LEVERTOV AFTER THE GUEST; FOR MY BROTHER by GREGORY ORR I MAY, I MIGHT, I MUST by MARIANNE MOORE |
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