Next Moment

Marie Borroff

Tentative, the finger of the mind
Dabbles the water, future. The water wavers,
Assumes all shapes in seeming, but, being water,
Releases all, remains yet undefined;

To the poised finger passive, seems to hold
All possibles as one, alike existent,
Till by time’s chemistry, sudden the present
Locks into crystal, actual and cold.

Marie Borroff was a scholar, poet, translator, and a Sterling Professor of English at Yale University.
Originally published:
April 1, 1948

Featured

Searching for Seamus Heaney

What I found when I resolved to read him
Elisa Gonzalez

What Happened When I Began to Speak Welsh

By learning my family's language, I hoped to join their conversation.
Dan Fox

When Does a Divorce Begin?

Most people think of it as failure. For me it was an achievement.
Anahid Nersessian

You Might Also Like

Creativity, Poetic Language, and the Computer

What's distinctly human about writing a poem?
Marie Borroff

Ars Poetica

Marie Borroff

Noah’s Flood

The Gawain Poet
and
Marie Borroff

A Literary Gift in Print

Give a year of The Yale Review—four beautifully printed issues featuring new literature and ideas.
Give a Subscription