DAWN: Designing a Workshop in Narrative Medicine

A Presentation by Kristen Zeller, MD and Aimee Mepham, MFA

Friday, September 18, 2026

Landscape with the Fall of Icarus by William Carlos Williams

According to Brueghel
when Icarus fell
it was spring

a farmer was ploughing
his field
the whole pageantry

of the year was
awake tingling
near

the edge of the sea
concerned
with itself

sweating in the sun
that melted
the wings’ wax

unsignificantly
off the coast
there was

a splash quite unnoticed
this was
Icarus drowning

From Collected Poems: 1939-1962, Volume II by William Carlos Williams, published by New Directions Publishing Corp. © 1962 by William Carlos Williams. Reprinted by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp.

Icarus by Mumford and Sons

Lyrics:
See through the smoke
Just a card in play that she wrote my name on
Breathing in the cold
How could she throw me away? At least wait ’til I have wings on
You know, I kissed her once and she smiled
She’ll never see the boy falling out of the sky
It took me all I had to turn away from this one
Thought I’d take my chances, I was blinded, I was young
But then all at once, I was back to where I begun
I was burned by the morning, I got too close to the sun
She said, “Your feathers fit just right
You’re a fool, you’re a climber, you should’ve called it a night”
Well, it turns out (it turns out), I turned out fine (turned out fine)
So better luck next time, I’m Icarus ascending
You know, I kissed her once and she smiled
She’ll never see the boy falling out of the sky
It took me all I had to turn away from this one
Thought I’d take my chances, I was blinded, I was young
But then all at once, I was back to where I begun
I was burned by the morning, I got too close to the sun
She’ll never know I was falling, falling, oh
I got too close to the sun
It took me all I had to turn away from this one
Thought I’d take my chances, I was blinded, I was in love
But then all at once, I was back to where I begun
I was burned by the morning, I got too close to the sun
I got too close to the sun

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Edward James Milton Dwane / Benjamin Walter David Lovett / Marcus Oliver Johnstone Mumford / Aaron Brooking Dessner / Kevin Owen Garrett
Icarus lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Corp., Roc Nation Music, Ingrid Stella Music, Kevin Garrett Music