John Berryman(1914–1972)
324. An Elegy for w.e.w., The Lovely Man
324. An Elegy for W.C.W., The Lovely Man
Henry in Ireland to Bill underground:
Rest well, who worked so hard, who made a good sound
constantly, for so many years:
your high-jinks delighted the continents & our ears:
you had so many girls your life was a triumph
and you loved your one wife.
At dawn you rose & wrote—the books poured forth—
y o u d e l i v e r e d i n f i n i t e b a b i e s , 4 i n o n e g r e a t b i r t h —
a n d y o u r g e n e r o s i t y
to juniors made you deeply loved, deeply:
if envy was a Henry trademark, he would envy you,
especially the being through.
T o o m a n y j o u r n e y s l i e f o r h i m a h e a d ,
too many galleys & page-proofs to be read,
he would like to lie down
in your sweet silence, to whom was not denied
the mysterious late excellence which is the crown
of our trials & our last bride.