Thought I had absorbed that essay of Alan's,
but obviously I had forgotten that he had something
to say about "Cottage Street," so I'll go back
and re-read it as soon as I'm done here.
At a birthday fest/reading
at Bard College two years ago, a fine critic (whose
name, I blush to admit, I have forgotten) strongly defended
Wilbur's choice of "unjust" as he sat there and beamed
on genially at the proceedings. I got the strong
impression that he approved of what she (the critic)
was saying. I.e., the poem was deeply sympathetic
and yet ultimately rueful and tender about having to
call the poems unjust. This is a view I am sure is
strongly influenced by Wilbur's religious faith.
Bill: Are you thinking of the "Gambler" that came out
a couple of years ago in the "New Yorker" (I could swear
I read it in 1998 or 1999) and was included in "Mayflies"?
Of course, it could just be a senior moment for yours truly.
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