“The past is only the present become invisible and mute; and because it…” — Mary Webb | V2Melody

“The past is only the present become invisible and mute; and because it is invisible and mute, its memoried glances and its murmurs are infinitely precious. We are tomorrow's past.”

Valuing memory because the past can no longer speak for itself · Foreword, Precious Bane, 1924

About Mary Webb

Mary Webb

25 March 1881–8 October 1927

In the rolling hills and misty valleys of Shropshire, where ancient folklore mingles with the rhythms of rural life, Mary Gladys Webb crafted some of the most evocative prose and poetry of the early twentieth century. Born on March 25, 1881, in the village of Leighton-under-the-Wrekin, and dying tragically young at…

More by Mary Webb

Poems by Mary Webb

More remarks by Mary Webb

“If you know much about your work – why you work, how you work, your aims – you are probably not a poet.”

Suggesting true poetic work arises beyond conscious calculation · Essay, Poems and the Spring of Joy, 1928

“Love unspoken is the most tremendous force in the world. One is amazed at the way in which people waste their time making speeches, agitating, praying, even. They might save their breath. The great lovers of the world, in silence, rule the world.”

Privileging silent love over public speech or action · Essay or prose reflection, as commonly collected

“The love of nature is a passion for those in whom it once lodges. It can never be quenched. It cannot change. It is a furious, burning, physical greed, as well as a state of mystical exaltation.”

Describing nature-love as both bodily hunger and spiritual elevation · Essay, The Spring of Joy, 1917