As wild and callous as you are,
by rights
You should be banished outside to the ditch,
To pay your pen-ance in disturbing nights,
Expecting to be rescued by some witch
In morbid need of a familiar friend
With wicked eyes and automatic claws;
A master with few fineries to mend,
And less respect for civilizing laws.
And, child to Him who furnished flocks of quail
Until the sons of Israel grew sick,
Some part of me delights to countervail,
To see you suffer for your latest trick;
Some part which would enjoy your punishment,
But for those pleading eyes, when you repent.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
A Culture of Parricide
I learned a new word the other day: déploration. It’s the French, directly from the Latin, for “lament.”…
Prime Rib of Unicorn
Of all the titles I’ve been tracking this year, the one I am most delighted to have…
The Real World of Francisco de Zurbarán
Throughout the summer, I visited the National Gallery in London at least once a week. This is…
