Shipley’s Upper School commemorated the fifth anniversary of 9/11 with a special assembly in Riely Theatre. Head of Upper School, Mark Schoeffel, read a poem from the September 24, 2001 issue of The New Yorker (read the poem below). The Upper School Chorus, with accompaniment by violinist Eric Simpson, performed a song celebrating peace. The somber assembly concluded with a moment of silence.

Try to Praise the Mutilated World

Try to praise the mutilated world.
Remember June’s long days,
and wild strawberries, drops of wine, the dew.
The nettles that methodically overgrow
the abandoned homesteads of exiles.
You must praise the mutilated world.
You watched the stylish yachts and ships;
one of them had a long trip ahead of it,
while salty oblivion awaited others.
You’ve seen the refugees heading nowhere,
you’ve heard the executioners sing joyfully.
You should praise the mutilated world.
Remember the moments when we were together
in a white room and the curtain fluttered.
Return in thought to the concert where music flared.
You gathered acorns in the park in autumn
and leaves eddied over the earth’s scars.
Praise the mutilated world
and the gray feather a thrush lost,
and the gentle light that strays and vanishes
and returns.
—Adam Zagajewski

(Translated, from the Polish, by Clare Cavanagh.)
Reprinted courtesy of The New Yorker