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:

    It is like any other work of art.
    It is and never can be changed.
    Behind everything there is always
    The unknown unwanted life.
    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)

    bars of that strange speech
    In which each sound sets out to seek each other,
    Murders its own father, marries its own mother,
    And ends as one grand transcendental vowel.
    Randall Jarrell (1914–1965)

    Bunched upside down, they sleep in air.
    Their sharp ears, their sharp teeth, their quick sharp faces
    Are dull and slow and mild.
    All the bright day, as the mother sleeps,
    She folds her wings about her sleeping child.
    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)