"The Cantos" Quotes

The apparition of these faces in the crowd; petals on a wet, black bough.

What thou lovest well remains, the rest is dross

Pull down thy vanity, it is not man Made courage, or made order, or made grace, Pull down thy vanity, I say pull down.

What thou lov'st well shall not be reft from thee; What thou lov'st well is thy true heritage.

With usura, sin against nature, Is thy bread ever more of stale rags Is thy bread dry as paper, With no mountain wheat, no strong flour

Winter is icummen in, Lhude sing Goddamm, Raineth drop and staineth slop, And how the wind doth ramm, Sing: Goddamm.

O generation of the thoroughly smug and thoroughly uncomfortable, I have seen fishermen picnicking in the sun, I have seen them with untidy families I have seen their smiles full of teeth and heard ungainly laughter. And I am happier than you are,

What thou lov'st well is thy true heritage

And if the damn'd thing happen’d when I was quite little? Why, I had my mother there To keep me from harm, as I remember, And I had my first love there To keep me from harm, as I remember, And I had the moon there To keep me from harm,

The enormous tragedy of the dream in the peasant's bent shoulders, sipping his porridge of pease, munching his crusts of black bread, that he should stumble onto a Raphaël and not know what it is...