But as to risings, I can tell you why. It is on contradicti… - William Empson

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But as to risings, I can tell you why.
It is on contradiction that they grow.
It seemed the best thing to be up and go.
Up was the heartening and the strong reply
The heart of standing is we cannot fly.

William Empson

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About William Empson

Sir William Empson (27 September 1906 – 15 April 1984) was an influential English literary critic and poet.

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Alternative Names: Sir William Empson

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Originators like William Empson:

T. S. Eliot Seamus Heaney W. H. Auden Oliver Wendell Holmes Hilaire Belloc

Additional quotes by William Empson

Shall I make it clear, boys, for all to apprehend,
Those that will not hear, boys, waiting for the end,
Knowing it is near, boys, trying to pretend,
Sitting in cold fear, boys, waiting for the end?

Twixt devil and deep sea, man hacks his caves;
Birth, death; one, many; what is true, and seems;
Earth's vast hot iron, cold space's empty waves.

Life involves maintaining oneself between contradictions that can't be solved by analysis.

But as to risings, I can tell you why. It is on contradiction that they grow. It seemed the best thing to be up and go. Up was the heartening and the… - William Empson

About William Empson

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