Photo: Paul Kuijpers
"I don't know if he was writing spontaneously or whether his work was part of a programme. Either way, it doesn't matter. It was a breathtaking spectacle to observe. The man was - provocatively slowly and with mathematical precision - writing his poem on the pavement, seawardly. The way the man blew the chalk powder from each letter - as if he wanted to help the poem with a soft breeze before it sailed away - was moving and masterly.”
“Even though, according to a publisher in my Salon, Dublin writers live in expensive houses nowadays, there is still Poetry in progress. Thankfully!”
Paul Kuijpers, while visiting the Inspiring Cities Dublin “Culture in the City” Salons, observed this project in progress. The poem turns out to be popular and controversial on the internet…
Please note the striking similarity between this poem and Dublin CityPoem no 7 (for link, see below).
Dublin CityPoem: Don’t Quit, author unknown
The author of this popular poem on the internet is unknown, however, there many people claim to be the author and even threaten to take legal steps against websites that will not mention their names underneath the poem. Some of them even registered domain names with the title of the poem in it. Maybe it’s understandable, because searching the internet for this poem one finds many people who are really inspired by it.
Don't Quit!
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but do not quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
Anonymous
About the author
Unknown. See text above, or this link: http://www.geocities.com/dont_quit_anonymous/joedavidharrison.htm
See more Dublin CityPoems: Inspiring Cities Museum of CityPoems The Museum of CityPoems has citypoems from cities all over the world. From Alhambra to Zonnebeke, from Taipei to Lima. Got one yourself? Mail us your pictures (free of rights) and description, and we will publish.
Inspiring Cities has collected many citypoems over the years, as well as organized salons with citypoets and cities doing special projects. We have two criteria for what a citypoem is: the intention must be poetic, and it must be in the public realm of cities. Shapes, form and locations can and do differ.