Dylan Thomas(1914–1953)
In My Craft or Sullen Art
In My Craft or Sullen Art
Exercised in the still night
W h e n only the m o o n rages
And the lovers lie abed
W i t h all their griefs in their arms,
I labour by singing light
N o t for ambition or bread
Or the strut and trade of charms
On the ivory stages
But for the common wages
Of their most secret heart.
N o t for the proud man apart
From the raging m o o n I write
On these spindrift5 pages
Nor for the towering dead
With their nightingales and psalms
But for the lovers, their arms
Round the griefs of the ages,
W h o pay no praise or wages
Nor heed my craft or art.