Chapter & Verse

John Maher would like to know who said, "Analysis is death"--and where.

Marian Barkley is looking for the source of the phrase "these (the?) half-forgotten, sunlit days."

Gerald Hogan requests the text and author of a long poem or ballad, possibly Welsh or Scottish, entitled "The Tale of Johnnie Kigarrow." He reports that the first line runs, "My brother and I were down in Wales...."

"The blood of children" (July-August). Elizabeth Aracic identified Pablo Neruda's poem "Explaining a Few Things," published in Residence on Earth and Other Poems (translated by Angel Flores), as the source of this slightly misquoted simile. The correct text is "through the streets the blood of children/flowed simply, like the blood of children...."

"We work in the dark...." Laurie McNeil, who also works in the dark--"rather more literally, as my scientific experiments are conducted in a dark room"--asked for a full citation for the Henry James quotation included in the address that President Neil L. Rudenstine delivered in Sanders Theatre last May 13, at the conclusion of the University Campaign (see "A Hazard of Good Fortune," July-August, page 49). The quotation occurs at the end of James's short story "The Middle Years," first published in 1893 and reprinted in The Complete Tales of Henry James, volume 9, edited by Leon Edel (1964).

Most popular

Tina Fey and Robert Carlock Talk Collaboration, Joke-Building at Harvard

The duo behind 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt shared insights as part of the Learning from Performers series.

Martin Nowak Sanctioned for Jeffrey Epstein Involvement

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences announces disciplinary actions.

How Our Planet’s Trees Use Carbon

From the Amazon rainforest to shrubs planted around city streets, trees influence the earth’s temperature.

Explore More From Current Issue

A girl sits at a desk, flanked by colorful, stylized figures, evoking a whimsical, surreal atmosphere.

The Trouble with Sidechat

No one feels responsible for what happens on Harvard’s anonymous social media app.

Four men in a small boat struggle with rough water, one lying down and others watching.

The 1884 Cannibalism-at-Sea Case That Still Has Harvard Talking

The Queen v. Dudley and Stephens changed the course of legal history. Here’s why it’s been fodder for countless classroom debates.

Historic church steeple framed by bare tree branches against a clear sky.

Harvard’s Financial Challenges Lead to Difficult Choices

The University faces the consequences of the Trump administration—and its own bureaucracy.