Despite James Wright's sustained popularity and the critical attention he has received since his death in 1980, his 1968 poem “To the Muse” has been the subject of little detailed analysis. The speaker of the poem gives voice to a host of extreme emotions and thoughts that range from human unknowing and agony to unrestrained protest illuminating madness. Few other contemporary love poems explore the grieving lover's state with commensurate economy and intensity. The full text of the poem and a close textual analysis are included.