Adelaide Crapsey Quotes

Why do You thus devise Evil against her?' 'For that She is beautiful, delicate; Therefore.

~ Adelaide Crapsey

And the centurion who stood by said: Truly this was a son of God. Not long ago but everywhere I go There is a hill and a black windy sky. Portent of hill, sky, day's eclipse I know; Hill, sky, the shuddering darkness, these am I. The dying at His right hand, at His left, I am - the thief redeemed and the lost thief; I am the careless folk; I those bereft, The Well-Belov'd, the women bowed in grief. The gathering Presence that in terror cried, In earth's shock in the Temple's veil rent through, I; and a watcher, ignorant, curious-eyed, I the centurion who heard and knew

~ Adelaide Crapsey

Peter stands by the gate, And Michael by the throne. 'Peter, I would pass the gate And come before the throne.' 'Whose spirit prayed never at the gate In life nor at the throne, In death he may not pass the gate To come before the throne:' Peter said from the gate; Said Michael from the throne.

~ Adelaide Crapsey

Pain ebbs, And like cool balm, An opiate weariness Settles on eye-lids, on relaxed Pale wrists.

~ Adelaide Crapsey

If itWere lighter touchThan petal of flower restingOn grass, oh still too heavy it were,Too heavy!

~ Adelaide Crapsey

Three grey women walk with me Fate and Grief and Memory. My fate brought grief; my grief must be With me through Eternity, Such thy power, memory.Three grey women walk with me.

~ Adelaide Crapsey

Thou hast Drawn laughter from A well of secret tears And thence so elvish it rings, -mocking And sweet.

~ Adelaide Crapsey

Is it as plainly in our living shown,By which way the wind hath blown?

~ Adelaide Crapsey

The old Old winds that blew When chaos was, what do They tell the clattered trees that I Should weep?

~ Adelaide Crapsey

Not thou, White rose, but thy Ensanguined sister is The dear companion of my heart's Shed blood.

~ Adelaide Crapsey

Oh Lady, let the sad tears fall To speak thy pain, Gently as through the silver dusk The silver rain. Oh, let thy bosom breathe its grief In such soft sigh As hath the wind in gardens where Pale roses die.

~ Adelaide Crapsey

Sea-foam And coral! Oh, I'll Climb the great pasture rocks And dream me mermaid in the sun's Gold flood.

~ Adelaide Crapsey

Sun and wind and beat of sea,Great lands stretching endlessly...Where be bonds to bind the free?All the world was made for me!

~ Adelaide Crapsey

If illness' end be health regained then I Will pay you, Asculapeus, when I die.

~ Adelaide Crapsey

Scarlet the poppies Blue the corn-flowers, Golden the wheat. Gold for the Eternal: Blue for Our Lady: Red for the five Wounds of her Son.

~ Adelaide Crapsey

Reap, reap the grain and gather The sweet grapes from the vine; Our Lord's mother is weeping, She hath nor bread nor wine; She is weeping. The Queen of Heaven, She hath nor bread nor wine.

~ Adelaide Crapsey

With night's Dim veil and blue I will cover my eyes, I will bind close my eyes that are So weary.

~ Adelaide Crapsey

Still as On windless nights The moon-cast shadows are, So still will be my heart when I Am dead.

~ Adelaide Crapsey

No guile? Nay, but so strangely He moves among us. . Not this Man but Barabbas! Release to us Barabbas!

~ Adelaide Crapsey

Seen on a night in November How frail Above the bulk Of crashing water hangs, Autumn, evanescent, wan, The moon.

~ Adelaide Crapsey

As it Were tissue of silver I'll wear, O Fate, thy grey, And go mistily radiant, clad Like the moon.

~ Adelaide Crapsey

Dost thou Not feel them slip, How cold! how cold! the moon's Thin wavering finger-tips, along Thy throat?

~ Adelaide Crapsey

But me They cannot touch, Old age and death. The strange And ignominious end of old Dead folk!

~ Adelaide Crapsey

When I was girl by Nilus stream I watched the deserts stars arise; My lover, he who dreamed the Sphinx, Learned all his dreaming from eyes. I bore in Greece a burning name, And I have been in Italy Madonna to a painter-lad, And mistress to a Medici. And have you heard (and I have heard) Of puzzled men with decorous mien, Who judged - the wench knew far too much - And burnt her on the Salem green?

~ Adelaide Crapsey

In your Curled petals what ghosts Of blue headlands and seas, What perfumed immortal breath sighing Of Greece.

~ Adelaide Crapsey

Ere the horne'd owl hoot Once and twice and thrice there shall Go among the blind brown worms News of thy great burial; When the pomp is passed away, 'Here's a King,' the worms shall say.

~ Adelaide Crapsey