insatiate

 

"...We flock,

Still acquiescent, down the marble stair

Into the dark where we can't read. And thought

Swoops down insatiate through the starry air."

From Closing Time: Public Library by Lesbia Harford (1891-1927)

I came across this poem recently (I was "tidying my shelves" which somehow devolved into browsing through books) and I was quite taken by its loveliness. An Australian poet, Harford uses words sparingly but places them elegantly, and here she encapsulates a moment so beautifully that it is both relatable and lyrical at the same time. Reading more of her poems, I find they they apply a similar exquisite arrangement of words to describe the most ordinary of moments, and it's astonishing to me that these poems were born a century ago, and still convey the immediacy and freshness of Harford's insight with a voice that seems nearly contemporary. And insatiate? It's a fabulous word, well placed. It's a good reminder that words, used simply but well, can carry a depth and strength of meaning without requiring exaggeration or excess.