J. H. Prynne Quotes

9 Sourced Quotes

My early writing habits were not very distinctive. I would write these poems. I can't say they gave me much satisfaction. I wrote them as best I knew how. When I'd done them, I thought, Well, they're all I can do, up to this moment.

J. H. Prynne
Yet living in hope is so silly when our desires
are so separate, not part of any mode or condition
except language.

J. H. Prynne
This is the ace
of all desire,
fed by the smoke
and flame of this
exhausted fire.

J. H. Prynne
The astrology of hunger proposes
a starry bun. The dust of commerce
adds glamour by morning, the trustful
shepherd stops in his track. Arrest
is sprung up, hope holds it, wish
wears its diadem.

J. H. Prynne
The social cohesion
of towns is our newer ligature,
and the binding, you must see, is
the rule for connection, where we
are licensed to expect. That's
the human city, & we are
now at the edge of it

J. H. Prynne
I want a poet to break out of his or her poetic identity.

J. H. Prynne
We are easily disloyal, again, and the light
touch is so quickly for us, it does permit
what each one would give in the royal
use of that term.

J. H. Prynne
Lack spreads like snow
back by the path to the iron pipe
flaking and not succeeding.
And over this luck comes, the bird
making shadows like fortune,
like heat and light, on the wing.
Lack warms, it is the conduit
of starlight through the shut window,
lack of love hot now, luck cool
by turn, the bird it likes.

J. H. Prynne
The purity is a question of
names. We are here to utter them. This is
a prayer. I have it now between my
teeth and my eyes, on my forehead. Know
the names. It is as simple as the purity
of sentiment: it is as simple
as that.

J. H. Prynne