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

Meet Harvard’s 2026 Student Commencement Speakers

Two undergraduates and a Ph.D. candidate will address the graduating class on May 28.

Ronny Chieng Tells Harvard to ‘Destroy AI’ as Graduates Cheer

The comedian and The Daily Show host gave the keynote address for Class Day 2026.

Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil

The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.

Explore More From Current Issue

Brick archway with a sandy base, surrounded by wooden planks and boxes in a dim space.

How the American Revolution Freed a Future Abolitionist

Darby Vassall, an enslaved child freed after the Battle of Bunker Hill, dedicated his life to fighting for liberty.

Colorful illustrated map of Colonial Cambridge and the Harvard College campus featuring buildings of the campus, houses, Cambridge Common, and the Charles River

250 Years Ago, Harvard Was Home to a Revolution

A look at the sights, sounds, and characters that put the University on the frontlines of history

A man holding a revolver and lantern, wearing a hat and coat, appears to be walking cautiously.

Scoundrels, Then and Now

On con men, Mark Twain, and the powers of the Harvard name