The Idea of Order at Key West-Wallace Stevens

[ti:The Idea of Order at Key West] [ar:Wallace Stevens] [al:Wallace Stevens Reads His Poems] [by:] [offset:0] [00:00.70]The Idea of Order at Key West - Wallace Stevens [00:05.63]She sang beyond the genius of the sea [00:09.97] [00:11.85]The water never formed to mind or voice [00:15.62] [00:17.28]Like a body wholly body fluttering [00:20.68]It's empty sleeves and yet it's mimic motion [00:26.88]Made constant cry caused constantly a cry [00:33.58]That was not ours although we understood [00:37.53] [00:38.46]Inhuman of the veritable ocean [00:42.40] [00:44.80]The sea was not a mask no more was she [00:49.19] [00:51.24]The song and water were not medleyed sound [00:55.78] [00:57.08]Even if what she sang was what she heard [00:59.86] [01:01.45]Since what she sang was uttered word by word [01:05.49] [01:07.51]It may be that in all her phrases stirred [01:12.67] [01:14.04]The grinding water and the gasping wind [01:16.53] [01:17.26]But it was she and not the sea we heard [01:22.05] [01:23.93]For she was the maker of the song she sang [01:26.28] [01:27.88]The ever-hooded tragic-gestured sea [01:31.08] [01:32.22]Was merely a place by which she walked to sing [01:35.24] [01:37.70]Whose spirit is this we said because we knew [01:42.46]It was the spirit that we sought and knew [01:46.07] [01:46.93]That we should ask this often as she sang [01:50.02] [01:52.16]If it was only the dark voice of the sea [01:54.86] [01:56.18]That rose or even colored by many waves [01:59.71] [02:01.33]If it was only the outer voice of sky [02:03.53] [02:04.75]And cloud of the sunken coral water-walled [02:09.97]However clear it would have been deep air [02:13.93] [02:15.74]The heaving speech of air a summer sound [02:20.26]Repeated in a summer without end [02:24.17]And sound alone but it was more than that [02:28.30] [02:30.10]More even than her voice and ours among [02:34.44]The meaningless plungings of water and the wind [02:37.35] [02:38.74]Theatrical distances bronze shadows heaped [02:43.15] [02:43.97]On high horizons mountainous atmospheres [02:48.70]Of sky and sea [02:50.61] [02:53.72]It was her voice that made [02:56.60]The sky acutest at its vanishing [02:59.90] [03:01.99]She measured to the hour its solitude [03:05.95] [03:07.97]She was the single artificer of the world [03:10.70]In which she sang and when she sang the sea [03:16.74]Whatever self it had became the self [03:20.05]That was her song for she was the maker then we [03:26.61] [03:27.55]As we beheld her striding there alone [03:30.07] [03:31.44]Knew that there never was a world for her [03:34.73]Except the one she sang and singing made [03:42.44] [03:44.41]Ramon fernandez tell me if you know [03:48.43] [03:51.02]Why when the singing ended and we turned [03:54.12]Toward the town tell why the glassy lights [03:59.22] [04:01.07]The lights in the fishing boats at anchor there [04:03.15] [04:04.53]As night descended tilting in the air [04:07.03] [04:09.09]Mastered the night and portioned out the sea [04:12.86] [04:14.64]Fixing emblazoned zones and fiery poles [04:18.04] [04:19.64]Arranging deepening enchanting night [04:26.17] [04:28.66]Oh blessed rage for order pale ramon [04:32.44] [04:34.57]The maker's rage to order words of the sea [04:37.46] [04:39.57]Words of the fragrant portals dimly-starred [04:43.31] [04:44.79]And of ourselves and of our origins [04:47.39] [04:49.55]In ghostlier demarcations keener sounds [04:56.37]