Love Calls Us to the Things of This World Study Guide

"Love Calls Us to the Things of This World" was published in Richard Wilbur's 1956 collection Things of This World, and part of its title forms the title of that volume. It has been, as critics have noted, much anthologized—that is, included in compendia of poems by many poets. Reasons for its popularity are perhaps evident on first reading: it is a beautiful and sinuous poem, calmly comparing the small tasks of daily life to a spectacular array of imagined celestial beings. It is also worth noting, however, that poets' "most anthologized" poems are not always, or not even often, their most "representative." Wilbur for his part, doesn't write so much about angels. But there is something in the movement of this piece that could stand in for Wilbur's accomplishments throughout his career––a precision of description and a sweep, from start to end, that carries the reader along without a single hiccup, glitch, or awkward phrase.