# "Awake, chaos: we have napped"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-chaos-we-have-napped/667934>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [September 3, 2013, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-chaos-we-have-napped/667934 "2013-09-03T22:41:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![whc.03grady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@whc.03grady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whc.03grady)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-chaos-we-have-napped/667934/1 "2013-09-03T22:41:50Z")

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Can anyone give me a lead as to where this line comes from? I think it’s from e e cummings’ poem _W_, but can’t find _that_ anywhere…

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**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-chaos-we-have-napped/667934/2 "2013-09-03T22:50:04Z")

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Googling “awake chaos we have napped cummings” says it’s the final line in “W.”

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**Author:** ![whc.03grady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@whc.03grady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whc.03grady)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-chaos-we-have-napped/667934/3 "2013-09-04T12:51:17Z")

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I got that too. I shoulda been more clear: I was hoping someone could point me to the whole poem, maybe post it here even.

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**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-chaos-we-have-napped/667934/4 "2013-09-04T14:08:00Z")

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Apparently it’s poem XXVIII from the collection known as _W [ViVa]_.

Click [this link](http://www.scribd.com/doc/48849870/Cummings-E-E-Complete-Poems-1904-1962#page=370) and scroll down a bit.

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**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-chaos-we-have-napped/667934/5 "2013-09-04T14:25:27Z")

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The poem is probably recent enough that it’s still under copyright, which may be why you can’t easily find it online.

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**Author:** ![whc.03grady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@whc.03grady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whc.03grady)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awake-chaos-we-have-napped/667934/6 "2013-09-04T14:53:52Z")

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> [@Just\_Ed](#):
>
> Apparently it’s poem XXVIII from the collection known as _W [ViVa]_.
> 
> Click [this link](http://www.scribd.com/doc/48849870/Cummings-E-E-Complete-Poems-1904-1962#page=370) and scroll down a bit.

Donka shane.