William Stanley Merwin:
(September 30, 1927 – March 15, 2019).
American poet who wrote more than fifty books of poetry and prose and produced many works in translation. During the 1960s anti-war movement, Merwin’s unique craft was thematically characterized by indirect, unpunctuated narration. In the 1980s and 1990s, his writing influence derived from an interest in Buddhist philosophy and deep ecology. Residing in a rural part of Maui, Hawaii, he wrote prolifically and was dedicated to the restoration of the island’s rainforests.
This is what I have heard at last—the wind in December lashing the old trees with rain unseen, rain racing along the tiles under the moon, wind rising and falling, wind with many clouds, trees in the night wind.
Environmental Activism: Merwin was also involved in rainforest conservation and promoting ecological awareness.
I have been younger in October than in all the months of spring.
The lines deliberately reverse the usual symbolism of the seasons:
– ‘Spring’ traditionally represents youth, birth, and renewal.
– ‘October’ represents autumn, maturity, decline, and approaching death.
Merwin says that he has felt ‘more youthful, alive, or renewed in October’ than during spring.
“Younger” therefore refers not to physical age but to an inner condition—vitality, wonder, emotional renewal, or heightened awareness.
The paradox suggests that maturity and the awareness of mortality can make life feel more vivid. Autumn, despite being associated with decline, may offer a deeper kind of rejuvenation than conventional “youthful” spring.
✍️ Author: W. S. Merwin (1927–2019),
the American poet and ‘U.S. Poet Laureate’. The sentence comes from the opening two lines of his poem “The Love of October”:
> I have been younger in October
> than in all the months of spring
The poem appears in Merwin’s collection “The Pupil”, published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2001. The period and single-line format often seen in quotations are editorial; the original is arranged as verse.
Your absence has gone through me like thread through a needle. Everything I do is stitched with its color.
“Divorce”
“Your absence is because of me
Like a thread through a needle.
Everything I do is stitched with his color.”
🌸 Conclusion: W.S. Merwin’s ‘Separation’ is a beautiful example of how a few simple words can convey deep emotions. The metaphor of the thread and the needle is timeless and universally recognizable to anyone who has loved someone. 📚✨
