Damn the Circus
Damn everything but the circus!
…damn everything that is grim, dull,
motionless, unrisking, inward turning,
damn everything that won’t get into the
circle, that won’t enjoy, that won’t throw
its heart into the tension, surprise, fear
and delight of the circus, the round
world, the full existence…
--e.e. cummings
I’ve tried to track down the source of this quote and found
nothing but head scratching.
“The first sentence is from Act I, Scene II of e.e. cummings
play: Him. It is also known as "the acrobat's passage". The rest of
the quote was apparently written by someone else. It does not appear in the
play (published in 1927). "Damn everything but the circus!" is
original with cummings, although often attributed to a female author, who may
have used the quote as a title for a book.
URL: https://able2know.org/topic/46665-1
Others contend
It is not a poem but a part of a series of lectures titles
"i Six Nonlectures" Comprising a series of lectures Cummmings gave
back in the 30's. The one called "i & now & him" nonlecture
#5 begins a short play with the words "Damn everything but the
circus."
URL: https://able2know.org/topic/46665-1
- Hardcover : 60 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0030848849
- ISBN-13 : 978-0030848841
- Publisher : Holt, Rinehart and Winston; 1st Edition (January 1, 1970)
My series on Corita inspired by:
CORITA KENT. ART AND SOUL. THE BIOGRAPHY.
By April Dammann
Published by Angel City Press, 160 pages, $40
To read the entire series, Search Corita Kent or click on tags.
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