Skip to content

Site Navigation

  • The Atlantic
  • PopularLatestNewsletters

    Sections

    • Ideas
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Global
    • National Security
    • Washington Week
    • Features
    • Technology
    • AI Watchdog
    • Science
    • Planet
    • Health
    • Philosophy
    • Education
    • Culture
    • Comedy
    • Family
    • Books
    • Fiction
    • Photography
    • Events
    • Explore The Atlantic Archive
    • games promo iconPlay The Atlantic Games
    • Listen to Podcasts and Articles

    The Print Edition

    View the current print edition
    Latest IssuePast Issues

    Give a Gift
  • Quick Links
    • Audio
    • Crossword Puzzle
    • Magazine Archive
    • Your Subscription
  • Popular
  • Latest
  • Newsletters
  • Sign In
  • Subscribe
October 2018 Issue
October 2018 Cover
The crisis in democracy: articles by Anne Applebaum, Stephen Breyer, Jeff Rosen, David Frum, Amy Chua, and others. Plus the price of sports protests, what getting shot taught Elaina Plott about American politics, the brutal truth about climate change, why #brands are not our friends, James Parker on Rick and Morty, and more. View Magazine
  • The American Crisis
    Jeffrey Goldberg
  • A Warning From Europe: The Worst Is Yet to Come
    Anne Applebaum
  • Why Technology Favors Tyranny
    Yuval Noah Harari
  • Americans Aren’t Practicing Democracy Anymore
    Yoni Appelbaum
  • The Threat of Tribalism
    Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld
  • A House Still Divided
    Ibram X. Kendi
Poem

Half-Life

By David Lehman
Melinda Josie
October 2018 Issue

After Hölderlin

Yellow pears
wild roses
the lake
your swans
and kisses
your head
in water.

But where,
when winter,
is sunshine
and shadow?
The walls,
silent and
cold, clatter.

About the Author

David Lehman
David Lehman’s recent books include One Hundred Autobiographies: A Memoir (2019) and Poems in the Manner of … (2017).

Popular Links

  • About

    • Our History
    • Careers
  • Contact

    • Help Center
    • Contact Us
    • Atlantic Brand Partners
    • Press
    • Reprints & Permissions
  • Podcasts

    • Radio Atlantic
    • The David Frum Show
    • Galaxy Brain
    • Autocracy in America
    • How to Age Up
  • Subscription

    • Purchase
    • Give a Gift
    • Manage Subscription
    • Group Subscriptions
    • Atlantic Editions
    • Newsletters
  • Follow

    • facebook
    • instagram
    • youtube
    • twitter
    • linkedin
    • flipboard

  • Our History
  • Careers

  • Help Center
  • Contact Us
  • Atlantic Brand Partners
  • Press
  • Reprints & Permissions

  • Radio Atlantic
  • The David Frum Show
  • Galaxy Brain
  • Autocracy in America
  • How to Age Up

  • Purchase
  • Give a Gift
  • Manage Subscription
  • Group Subscriptions
  • Atlantic Editions
  • Newsletters

  • facebook
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • flipboard

Site Information

  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Privacy Choicesprivacy-options
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Terms of Sale
  • Responsible Disclosure
  • Site Map

TheAtlantic.com © 2026 The Atlantic Monthly Group. All Rights Reserved.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply