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A Valediction Forbidding Mourning Lyrics by Adrienne Rich

The Will to Change: Poems 1968-1970

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My swirling wants. Your frozen lips.
The grammar turned and attacked me.
Themes, written under duress.
Emptiness of the notations.
They gave me a drug that slowed the healing of wounds.
I want you to see this before I leave:
the experience of repetition as death
the failure of criticism to locate the pain
the poster in the bus that said:
my bleeding is under control
A red plant in a cemetary of plastic wreaths.
A last attempt: the language is a dialect called metaphor.
These images go unglossed: hair, glacier, flashlight.
When I think of a landscape I am thinking of a time.
When I talk of taking a trip I mean forever.
I could say: those mountains have a meaning
but further than that I could not say.
To do something very common, in my own way.
Credits
Adrienne Rich

Adrienne Rich

About “A Valediction Forbidding Mourning” by Adrienne Rich

Read the complete lyrics to "A Valediction Forbidding Mourning" by Adrienne Rich from the album "The Will to Change: Poems 1968-1970". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Poetry, American Literature.

"A Valediction Forbidding Mourning" is performed by Adrienne Rich. from the album "The Will to Change: Poems 1968-1970" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "A Valediction Forbidding Mourning", explore more songs by Adrienne Rich using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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"A Valediction Forbidding Mourning" is credited to Adrienne Rich. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"A Valediction Forbidding Mourning" appears on "The Will to Change: Poems 1968-1970".

Visit the Adrienne Rich artist page at /artist/adrienne-rich for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.