In Those Years

Adrienne Rich

In those years, people will say, we lost track
of the meaning of we, of you
we found ourselves
reduced to I
and the whole thing became
silly, ironic, terrible:
we were trying to live a personal life
and yes, that was the only life
we could bear witness to

But the great dark birds of history screamed and plunged
into our personal weather
They were headed somewhere else but their beaks and pinions drove
along the shore, through the rags of fog
where we stood, saying I


The Yale Review is committed to publishing pieces from its archive as they originally appeared, without alterations to spelling, content, or style. Occasionally, errors creep in due to the digitization process; we work to correct these errors as we find them. You can email [email protected] with any you find.

Adrienne Rich (1929–2012) was a poet and essayist. She was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her Collected Poems: 1950-2012, published posthumously in 2016.
Originally published:
April 1, 1992

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

Aria Aber on the Poetry of Exile

Writing what can't be named
Meghan O’Rourke

Lamium

Louise Glück


A Literary Gift in Print

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