Fame

Fame


1.
Novelists, playwrights, painters and others
may hold in their heads the expectation of
fame, but not poets. Having chosen that road,
all one can dream of is the jealousy of one's
rivals. Celebrity is unexpected and almost
unseemly--it forces one to wear a constant
look of chagrin, if that is possible. Unless
you are Byron, who was the first poet to become
a star. At its worst, fame means being known by
strangers--enough to bring on waves of paranoia.

2.
Novelists, playwrights, painters and others
may hold in their heads
the expectation of fame,
but not poets.
Having chosen that road,
all one can dream of
is the jealousy of one's rivals.
Celebrity is unexpected
and almost unseemly--
it forces one to wear
a constant look of chagrin,
if that is possible.
Unless you are Byron,
who was the first poet to become a star.
At its worst, fame means
being known by strangers--
enough to bring on waves of paranoia.

Billy Collins

Posted over on BookRag

1. Billy Collin's prose quote.
2. Line breaks by Glenn Buttkus