At the end ...
... I remember.
Overhead, noises, branches ...
... the dry surface.
It is terrible ...
... the dark earth.
Then it was ...
... in low shrubs.
You who do ...
... find a voice:
from the center ...
... on azure seawater.
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
A Brief Biography — Learn more about Louise Glück's life and work at the Poetry Foundation.
Glück's Influence — Read an appreciation of Glück's work in the New Yorker.
Glück's Reception — Read about Glück's recent work and honors (including the 2020 Nobel Prize for Literature).
The Poem Aloud — Listen to Glück herself reading this poem aloud.
An Interview with Glück — Listen to an interview with Glück (conducted by the Irish novelist Colm Tóibín).