Poems Books

THE POEMS OF GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS. Fourth Edition based on the First Edition of 1918 and enlarged to incorporate all known poems and fragments. Edited by W. H. Gardner and N. H. Mackenzie. 362 pp. Oxford and New York : Oxford University Press, 1970. ISBN 0-19-281094-4 (pbk.)

For anyone who is interested in Hopkins, and everyone should be, this is the standard and authoritative edition. It gives us the only complete and accurate text which for the first time puts the poems in their true chronological order.

The poems have been arranged in four sections : Early Poems (1860-1875?); Poems (1876-1879); Unfinished Poems, Fragments, Light Verse, &c. (1862-89); Translations, Latin and Welsh Poems, &c. (1862-67). The book contains a useful and informative Introduction and Foreword, and is rounded out with very full Notes, a series of Appendices, and Indexes of titles and first lines. It is also beautifully printed on excellent paper, stitched, and bound in a sturdy glossy wrapper.

Hopkins had a unique sensibility, and brought something very special and of great value into English poetry. He seems to have had the ability to enter into the intelligence and feelings and spirit of all life forms, whether animal or plant or even landscape, to resonate with the indwelling divinity within them, and to somehow magically bring the miracle of their vibrant being over into his poems.

Hopkins is in fact a striking example of the fully human sensibility as described in the works of Heidegger and the great thinkers of the East, and exemplifies a quality of sensibility which most of us seem somehow to have lost. We skate dully and blindly over the surface of things, but Hopkins plunges into the depths of being and carries us along with him. In other words, he puts us back in touch with reality, with what life is really about. Hence his enormous value and importance.

In a complete collection such as this, there are bound to be many poems that fall short of greatness. For the newcomer to Hopkins, one suggested approach might be to first read some of his greatest poems, poems such as 'God's Grandeur,' 'Spring,' 'The Windhover,' 'Pied Beauty,' 'The Caged Skylark,' 'Binsey Poplars,' 'As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame.'

There are many beauties to enjoy in Hopkins - his unique use of language, his control of sound and rhythm, his amazing images and metaphors - but for me the most beautiful thing of all is the news he brings, news of a universe in which all things are of infinite value and infinitely precious, and in which no creature is of any less value than another because all are indwelt by divinity:

"Each mortal thing does one thing and the same : / Deals out that being indoors each one dwells ; / Selves, goes itself ; _myself_ it speaks and spells, / Crying _What I do is me : for that I came_" (p.90).

Hopkins makes us acutely aware of our loss, and our crime. His poems map out a path back to a saner, more balanced, and more wholesome and intelligent way of dwelling on the earth, dwelling lightly upon it with all other creatures and as its guardian, not its ravager.

"O if we but knew what we do / When we delve or hew - / Hack and rack the growing green! / ... After-comers cannot guess the beauty been...' (pp.78-9).

Hopkins, I think, would have been very much in agreement with Heidegger who tells us that the earth must once again become a _Spielraum_ , a space of great beauty in which to play, and one in which all creatures, instead of being treated as mere objects, are allowed to do what they came here to do, to develop the full potential of their natures and fulfill themselves as manifestations of divinity. His poems are unforgettable, and one envies those who may be coming to them for the first time.

The first poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins I read was "PiedBeauty," which was included in a book of poetry for children thatwas given to me by my great-aunt. In high school, I read "Spring and Fall: to a young child" and loved it, though I did not realize it was by the same author. It was only college that I connected the two, and discovered a wonderful poet, who has become one of my favorites.

For a fan of Hopkins looking for an authoritative volume, this edition is a treasure. In addition to his better known works, it contains early poems, numerous fragments, and unfinished works, in fact "every scrap of English verse which can be ascribed... to Hopkins" (from the Introduction xvii). In addition, it contains a good essay on Hopkins and his work, and extensive textual notes.

Hopkins poetry may appear obscure and difficult at first, and in fact it is, at times, wildly original. Hopkins' language is deliberately archaic and inventive, and he both revives wonderful words not used since Shakespeare, and makes up his own. Hopkins also writes in "sprung rhythm," a metrical style that is almost syncopated, and juxtaposes stressed syllables. I recommend reading his poems out loud. The sheer beauty of his language will inspire you to recite the words over and over again, until you understand his meaning: the essence which he is trying to distill. New readers may be daunted by this volume at first, and find that Hopkins' great poems are "submerged in a mass of less significant fragments" (Intro xiv). I would suggest his sequence of ten sonnets (#31-40) as an ideal place to start reading.

Hopkin's friend and fellow poet Robert Bridges wrote that Hopkins strove "for the unattainable perfection of language," and at times he seems to have actually obtained it: "Men go by me whom either beauty bright / In mould or mind or what not else make rare: / They rain against our much-thick and marsh air / Rich beams, till death or distance buys them quite." (The Lantern out of Doors, #40). END

Gardner and MacKenzie have compiled a fine collection of Hopkins' juvenalia, mature work, and uncollected fragments/translations.

I wish that I knew what to say to compel readers unfamiliar with his work to buy this or another collection. The Terrible Sonnets are among the most moving treatment of spiritual anguish in the English language. If you are doubting, take the time to look "Carrion Comfort" up on the web-- the poems are available at Bartleby.com. This book is one of my constant poetic companions.

For readers already familiar with the more famous pieces, it is a treat to see his younger work and translations. Reading the book as a whole gives a picture of a mind in motion. What led him to this point?

"NO worst, there is none. Pitched past pitch of grief,
More pangs will, schooled at forepangs, wilder wring.
Comforter, where, where is your comforting?"

Read it, read it, read it.

This review does not relate to the quality and character of the Oxford Complete Poems. It rather relates to Hopkins unique greatness as a poet which I will try to say a few words about.
Hopkins created his own style of verse, his own vocabulary for perceiving the world, his own special rhythm and language in poetry.
He is not the most easy poet to understand, and I will admit that his longer poems lose me.
When I consider his work I relate primarily to five, six , seven poems which seem to me extraordinary. " The world is charged with the Grandeur of God" and " Thou art indeed just, Lord" and "Felix Randall the Farrier, Is he dead then?' are to me the most memorable. They contain a power and beauty, a tremendous sense of identification with and understanding of the suffering in life, a kind of unique and intimate perception of the details of the natural world.
Hopkins the tormented priest wrote to my mind some of the most memorable and beautiful lines in the English language. Consider the closing of ' Thou art Indeed Just Lord" "Birds build but not I build/ but break Times wounds And never breed one work that wakes Thou O My Lord of Life Send my roots Rain."

The poems and stories in the book are just as relevant and touching today as they were 30 years ago when my father purchased a copy for me. Most of the poems have been read many times by me and shared with others. I have many favorites, but the most precious to me is "The Touch of the Master's Hand" and the story of the little girl in heaven who's tears keep putting the candle out. This is my 5th purchase of the book. Lent copies never seem to return. I have given it as gifts also. Thank you for making it available still.

My parents gave me this book for Christmas one year when I was in high school. It quickly became my favorite anthology of poetry, one I have treasured for many, many years. Unfortunately, I lost my copy in one of the many moves that have occurred over that time. I discovered it was missing when I went looking for it a couple of months ago. Maybe it's still in a box in the garage loft. But never mind. If you only purchase one anthology of poetry, it should be this one. This is the poetry that you memorize. This is the poetry that you read at a friend's funeral. This is the poetry you share with your children and grandchildren. It never goes out of style. That's why I'm buying another copy.

The poems are simple, uplifting. There is something for everyone... on every subject. You'll want to read it over and over and buy copies for you're friends!! It deserves a coveted spot in your library... or closer still, you're night table!!

I really really like this book. It has poems that comfort you when your sad and give you hope when you feel like giving up. I recommend this book to all readers who love poetry.

Hungry for tips on where to find brilliant, cutting-edge poets? Eager to learn about highly-talented poets with much to say wonderfully on human issues? Then buy Edward Hirsch's Poet's Choice and enjoy yourself. Each of his short chapters (three pages each!) introduces the reader to outstanding poets from around the world who have found their voices in personal catastrophe, ethnicity, life-altering experience, or sudden insight. After reading Hirsch's outstanding critiques of stunningly gifted, mostly 20th-Century poets, you'll want to buy their selected or collected works. And Hirsch's sensitive, evocative explanations of the poets' lives and poetic techniques are educational and motivational all by themselves. Hirsch, a respected poet himself, gives us lines like this one from his wistful chapter comparing poems and birdsongs: "There is something irrational in poetry, which still trembles with a holy air." And, in his chapter on the angst-driven love poems of Jane Mayhall, "There is something holy and crazed about an intensely personal grief." Hey, I'm more than ready for Poet's Choice, Part 2!

"Poetry is a necessary part of our planet." Edward Hirsch

Poet and critic, Edward Hirsch offers the reader an opportunity to experience poetry and the world in a new way in his book, Poet's Choice.

Hirsch examines and reflects on the works of more than 130 poets from all over the world and throughout history. He believes poetry is a meaningful way to look at the world and life. The challenge is to experience and appreciate life through the beauty of poetry written by both well-known and obscure poets.

For those who love poetry or have a strong desire to experience the ideas and concepts of life and death and all things in between, Hirsch's comprehensive volume is a treasure. It is worth the journey just to read his perspectives.

Armchair Interviews says: Hirsch's Poet's Choice is not for the beginner unless they have a deep desire to learn to love the written word, what it communicates and how it touches us all.

Always relevant, poetry addresses the great themes of our lives, love, loss, the modern terrors of a post 9/11 world, the scourge of war and a hope for peace. Tackling every human emotion and universal concept, poetry "puts us in touch with ourselves" as we interpret the words of the poets, personalizing and processing. This collection addresses every aspect of life, from the general to the personal perspective, our marginalized society, our place in the grand scheme of things and an ongoing dialog with history from the perspective of our own experiences. The poem is the sound of humanity, the voice of yearning and hope, restoring us to an increasingly alienating world, a private corner of the universe where we find comfort and expression.

Poet's Choice is not just another collection of great poems, but a more intimate format, the author speaking to the landscape of poetry, the language of each selection, shared anecdotes, bits of information that render each work uniquely accessible: Jorge Luis Borges' "Nightingale"; Rabindranath Tagore's "Final Poems"; Nellie Sachs' "Butterfly"; Xuan Quynh's "Summer"; Pablo Neruda's "Body of a Woman" and "Walking Around", to name but a few. This is poetry in its natural context, complex, universally appealing. Thoughtfully assembled, the poets speak the language of the world, past and present, an anthology that begs for a permanent place on a desk or bedside table, an island of personal exploration that expands souls and heals the battered heart.

"And so
it has taken me
all of sixty years
to understand
that water is the finest drink,
and bread the most delicious food,
and that art is worthless
unless it plants
a measure of splendor in people's hearts." (Taha Muhammad Ali)

To absorb the depth of these poems is to appreciate the differences inherent in the world we inhabit, elevating the consciousness and reaching for the finer self, one with the universe in human experience and the source of hope. Luan Gaines/ 2006.

I prefer anthologies for my intermittent poetry reading jags, so the role of editor is important. And after looking through POET'S CHOICE, I think that a case could be made that Edward Hirsch is the most auspicious choice for poetry editor/scholar that one could make.

In POET'S CHOICE, Hirsch has brought together material from his "Poet's Choice" columns to run alongside both international poems (which comprise one half of the book) and the work of American poets (the other half.) POET'S CHOICE is further organized into chapters exploring subgenres of poetry that a layperson would not ordinarily encounter. The odd thing is, Hirsch's introductory essays are so good, one can spend as much time enjoying his prose as the poems themselves!

By providing this accessible context and thought-provoking analysis with terrific poetry, Hirsch has compiled a truly excellent book. It's sublime reading both for the short term and for the long haul as well.

Just for fun, the following is a poem by the late William Matthews, which lays out the "Four Subjects of Poetry":

1. I went out in the woods today, and it made me feel, you know, sort of religious.
2. We're not getting any younger.
3. It sure is cold and lonely...
(a.) without you, honey.
(b.) with you, honey.
4. Sadness seems but the other side of the coin of happiness, and vice-verse, and in any case, it is too soon spent, and on what, we know not what.

the poetic edda is one of the greatest collections of poetry of all times. it contains the beautifully vivid "volupso", the norse apocalypse poem, the comedic ballads, the "wrangling of Loki" and "Lay of Thrmy", the proverbial wisdom of the "sayings of har" and the mournful lays of the larger-than-heroes, the volsungs and niflungs. the edda is better written than Beowulf, the more popular northern epic, and the rhythmic verse gives it more aesthetic appeal than most epic poems. the meter, based on alliteration and caesura, whether rhythmic fornyrdislag or lilting ljodahattr, is much more pleasing to the ear than classical blank verse, which has sticter syllable stress patterns. unfortunately, the edda is not in very good condition. their are gaps in the manuscripts, and there are numerous places where it appears a scribe covered up a gap with extraneous material. the poems vary greatly in quality, and you need a good understanting of norse myths to understand what is going on (i recommend Norse Stories: Retold from the Eddas by Hamilton Mabie). none the less, the edda is a wonderful read for fans of poetry, epics, or norse mythology.

Bellows translation does a very good job at preserving the metric rhythm of the norse poems, and a fairly good job of preserving the alliteration, while avoiding the archaism of Hollander. his grammer and word choice is a little "olde", but it is still far more aesthetically pleasing the Larrington's translation, and much more accessible than Hollander's. Dronke's translation is also excellent, but only one of five parts of it is currently in print, and it is absurdly priced, but see if you can find it at your library. unfortunately, thus far Dover has only reprinted half of Bellows' translation, this volume contains only the "mythological" lays, so we can only hope they will publish the heroic poems soon, but anyone serious about reading the edda will want to get more than one translation anyway.

A Dover reprint of the Mythological section (The Lays of the Gods) from the poetic Edda, a collection of Old Norse poems compiled in the 1200s from older oral traditions. First published by the American-Scandinavian Foundation in 1923. It's a slow read, primarily because almost every page is crammed with footnotes. The translation seems pretty good - it attempts to imitate the form of the Old Norse poetry, and the language at times is very moving with vivid imagery and sonic resonance. The abundant footnotes bog down the reading, but they are necessary since the Eddic poems were originally composed for an audience already familiar with Norse mythology. I went into this book knowing nothing about the subject, and by the time I had finished, with the help of Mr. Bellows' notes along the way, I had developed a real thirst for more. Somewhat difficult reading, but for somebody with a literary bent this is an excellent introduction to the world of Norse legendry. It certainly begs a second reading, ignoring the footnotes and just enjoying the poetry.

This is the "bible" for Asatruars and Odinists everywhere. This book is pretty easy to read once you figure out the way the words are arranged. Foot notes include variations of translation, and so sometimes the reader must come up with his/her own conclusion about a certain word or name. All in all, the Poetic Edda, whoever originally composed the works, is a great read and can be enjoyed by poetry collectors, lovers of mythology, and people who are interested in ancient Norse storytelling.

This is an excellent translation from Henry Bellows, easy to understand and with many footnotes. This is the version I use when I read the poems aloud.

The spelling he chose for transliterated names doesn't follow the common style, Voluspo is usually Voluspa, Hovamol is usually Havamal, etc, but these differences are minor and easy to get used to. The print is a facsmile (typical of this publisher) but clear and easy to read, and the binding is good quality (unlike products from some similar companies).

Unfortunately Dover only published half of the book, the section referred to to as the "Mythological Lays", and have omitted the "Heroic Lays", assuming I suppose that we'd only want to read the poems referring directly to the gods. They do clearly admit the omission at the beginning of the book. Much of the ancient scandinavian works we have are regarding heroes related to the gods, so to focus completely on the gods themselves is to miss pieces of the whole picture. Some researchers (in the minority) even suggest that the "Heroic Lays" are actually stories about the gods under different names, which was a very common practice (as you'll see when you read the poems that are included). So I consider the omission very unfortunate.

Despite that complaint I think this book is worth the cost. Unless you want to print your own (the Bellows translation is in the public domain), this book is an excellent choice for what it does have. Just be aware of what you're missing.

Edit: Dover has recently announced that they will finally release the second half of the book, The Poetic Edda: The Heroic Poems (Dover Value Editions)

Bowie gives us wonderful characters and an excellent murder mystery. The portrait he gives the reader of Philip, Peter's murdered lover is so touching and poignant I felt emotions for Peter. Peter's friends were excellent characters and the descriptive narrative of his home and friends painted a very lucid picture for me.
I thoroughly enjoyed Bowie's style of writing. He keeps the reading involved with the constantly changing moods and introducing us to some very unsavory characters. No disapointments here.

In "A Portrait Of Andrew", the third and superlative
installment of his "portrait" series, J.P. Bowie takes
us on a journey to New York City. Peter, the artist,
and Jeff, the private detective, travel to the Big Apple
to visit their friends, Andrew and David, for the Christ-
mas holidays. There is an engaging, easy-going bond that
the four share that is so enjoyable to witness, and it is
that bond that ultimately will be tested when a lurking
dark force rears it's ugly head. Andrew's trust and con-
cern for a friend in need is betrayed, and his life is
suddenly thrown into peril and continuous danger.
We are introduced to a host of new characters this time
around including Morgan Kennedy, a middle-aged aristocrat,
Jeremy, her gold-digging gay lover, and Nick Fallon, a
closeted New York detective who, along with Jeff, cracks
a complex murder case, and in the process, frees himself
from a troubled past and finds a soul mate in the process.
Bowie's plot is rich with character portrayals and is,
once again, vividly real and engrossing. The love scenes
are sometimes erotic and passionate, but always tender and
loving. There is a certain edge and grit to the storyline
here, due in large part to the geographical surroundings
of a big, bustling metropolis, as compared to the laid
back, California coastline feel to Bowie's first two epics.
This adds to the suspenseful and climactic ending that
is once again, startling and unpredicatable.
For those who enjoy intelligent, entertaining, insight-
ful and heart-warming reading, "A Portrait Of Andrew" will
not disappoint. It is time and money well spent, and will
have you anxiously looking forward to Bowie's next offering
which will, no doubt, be well worth the wait.

First off, I have to admit I'm a sucker for novels that follow the adventures of the same principal characters, but that's just one reason I have enjoyed J P Bowie's 'Portrait' series so much. In "A Portrait of Andrew" his third and latest mystery in the series, Bowie once again hooks us with a tight, tense plot, lots of humor and a sprinkling of sex amid the twists and turns the story takes.
Our heroes, Peter the artist and Jeff the PI, jet off to the Big Apple to spend the Holidays with their close buddies Andrew and David - (in A Portrait of Emily, David gets a promotion that necessitates their move from Laguna Beach to NY.) I found their reunion, and Peter and Andrew's sharing of confidences, truly heart warming. Bowie's talent for drawing his characters well is shown to great effect when we meet the loathsome Jeremy Kennedy and his paranoid wife Morgan at a party Andrew and David throw at their apartment. Morgan and Andrew have formed a close friendship that is shattered by Jeremy's treachery, but when Jeremy is murdered and Andrew considered the prime suspect, Morgan turns on Andrew and accuses him of having a clandestine affair with her husband.
Enter Nick Fallon, an NYPD detective with an unhappy past and a secret he keeps from his partner. He suspects a set up, and with Jeff's help, sets out to find the real killer. Nick is a great addition to Bowie's cast of characters and I hope he shows up again in future stories.
"Andrew", set against a backdrop of a snow bound New York City, is rich in atmosphere, witty dialogue and surprising twists. I can really recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good read, a tricky whodunnit and a darned good yarn!

J.P. Bowie is continuing to bat 1000 with his latest novel, "A Portrait of Andrew." The third novel in the series has moved locale from laid-back California to fast-paced New York City. I was anxious to see what new things would happen with our main characters, Peter and Jeff, when they went to visit their good friends, Andrew and David, who had moved to New York City at the conclusion of "A Portrait of Emily." We are treated with new and interesting characters -- some good and some evil -- and, of course, murder. We get all of the intrigue and "who-done-it" scenarios we have come to expect from J.P Bowie's work, but in this installment there is more comedy, a pleasant surprise. If you want a novel that is a quick read with characters you will come to care about, this one is for you. I highly recommend it. Kudos to the author!

Take a break from your hectic life & read PRAIRIE WIND! This refreshing collection of original poems & stories is worth your time...time you'll be glad you shared with Luther Morse, or visited The Hondo Valley, or laughed at when you read Chronicles of the Sisters of the Mystic Night. PRAIRIE WIND is definitely not your usual book of poetry...it's more fun!

PRAIRIE WIND is a refreshing & readable book of cowboy & traditional poetry & stories. Norm Rourke has called on his years of writing skills to present poems & stories about people he's known or met during his long career. PRAIRIE WIND is more than another book of cowboy poetry, it's an author's testament to the West & the people who pioneered & live there. A unique refreshing read, I highly recommend!

Because I have a master's in English, I've been exposed to every sort of obfuscational literature imaginable. Getting through graduate school was at times an exercise I called mental gymnastics--how many tortured positions could my mind twist itself into before something vital broke? Thankfully, Prairie Wind is not like that. Not that the work contained therein isn't intelligent, articulate, and deep, because it is. It is also full of humor, an understanding of human nature, and a genuine desire to communicate. "Cowboy Poets Uncovered" made me laugh out loud and "A Wife of Sixty Years" nearly brought me to tears. "Dust Bowl Days" reminded me why I love Oklahoma and its people--for their insistence on survival even the face of natural disaster and their acknowledgement that sometimes such survival means moving on.

I said all that to say simply that this little book is a gem, one that any reader who values both depth of thought and clarity of expression, not to mention the beauty of language, should have on a nearby book shelf.

This book contains 41 cowboy poems, 52 general poems, and a number of short stories that reflect the author's stated goal of "writing to be read." They offer humorous, sometimes poignant anecdotes and messages that speak to a reader's heart.
In a manner reminiscent of pulling up a chair in the shade and talking with an old friend, Rourke shares a heart-rending lesson the the unforgettable poem titled "The Old Black Man;" then, his encounter with "The Pilgrim" reminds one of the biblical admonition found in Hebrews 13:2 about entertaining angels unawares; and finally produces chuckles with "Visitin' Noo York City." The poem, "Sharing the Journey," with its concluding line, "In hearts with open doors," will give readers a glimpse of the breadth and depth of talent this wonderful writer possesses.
I hesitate to label this as "cowboy poetry," which it partly is, for fear many readers may be turned off. Far from it...this is a must have introduction to a writer I suspect will be garnering acclaim and awards from around the country. Who knows, maybe from as far away as "Noo York City."
Highly recommended.

This book is a joy to read. The imagery is clear, sharp and focused. The author relates locale and situations that hold you in a comfortable grip and give you a real sense of time and place. The poems range over a broad spectrum and offer something for everyone. I find myself reading and re-reading the many warm and thought provoking passages frequently. I would suggest buying at least two copies of the book, for once you lend it to a friend to enjoy, consider it gone. I hope this is only one of a series of books we see from this author as he offers us a world that touches all of us, and which in turn we can touch. Five stars, Bravo Mr. Logan

I thought I knew, of knew of, just about every important American poet now being published, but in reading these poems by Glenn Logan I was amazed that I had never heard of him before. Apparently he just wrote for himself for forty years or so, and then just unleashed this book on the public, without any hoopala or big-time promotion of any sort. But the QUALITY of the poems is outstanding! Some of them made me cry, others made me laugh out loud, but most just made me smile, and to think! It is gratifying to know that not all the great American poems had already written. Logan has added quite a few!

Glenn Logan is a versatile poet. Those who admire a poet's talent will do well to partake of the feast presented in this collection of 125 poems. They are vignettes that delight the eye and tickle the brain. These ample and colorful images of people, places, animals, and other things, are pure entertainment and often thought-provoking. They deliciously carry the reader through life and time. Even "life" and "time" are themes presented, albeit brief, but magically capturing the essence of each.

These poems are amazingly good, and it is equally amazing that Logan is not yet widely recognized as the significant poet he is. It has been a long, long time since I have wanted to actually memorize any poems, but there are many here that strike me with the same power as did the best poems of Frost, Poe, Carl Sandburg at his best, and (a special favorite of mine) Robinson Jeffers. Few more modern poets even compare in power and grace.

Logan's "The Crab Apple" is one of the most powerful evocations of childhood I have ever read, and it belongs up there with Frost's "Mending Wall" and "The Road Not Taken" for brilliant descriptions of the subtle interrelationships of nature and people. His "In the Silence of the Sound" is a lyric masterpiece, as are at least a score of other poems so good it makes you wonder why the average book of poetry from a university press is even considered poetry.

There are also deep philosophical poems such as "At Assateague" and "A Short Requiem," as well as ones that carry ideas that are brilliant yet seem never before to have been expressed; an example is "The General." Some of the poems are sexy, as "Tango"; some are plain funny, as is "Mr. Success" or "The Traveler." Most are written magnificently well, and very, very few are dull.

I recommend this book for anyone who loves literature - even for those who've never read poetry, as despite the depth of the poems, the language is surprisingly simple and the structures accessible.

Hopefully not to surpass his credentials, I must comment on how wonderful this poetry is. I love it. I keep these poems on the back of my mind at all times just to remember them and how I felt reading them. Merwin is so exceptionally good at copying the moment into our lives through himself, using the poetry of the spirit to communicate something beautiful deep inside of us all.

W S Merwin is a great poetic genius, & this book is my favorite of what I've read by him. He writes with uncompromising exactness & economy...& I don't think there's any punctuation in the whole book. The flaring experience of the first poems becomes a kind of alembic or magnifying glass focusing of the physical world into frictionless thinking in the journey to the last few blank pages. Poems such as the waltzingly elliptical "To the Spiders of this Room" & exponentially metaphorical "Flight of Language"...& all the rest...exhibit his lexical mastery; opening lines such as "Mist iridescent over the rice fields", the brilliant imagination. As a sidenote...is the poem "The Marfa Lights" in this book a hark back to James Tate's poem "Marfa"...?

This is one of the greatest books of modern poetry. It is a book for a quiet Sunday afternoon, sitting alone, let the words flow and guide one to the pervading essence. I can't begin to write as wonderful a review as Mr. Pipper wrote. I second everything he said and feel that as impossible as it may seem this poem makes one feel that you the reader are special for the reading of it and one wonders if there is another alien in the universe who can think or feel these words. The pupil is the poet, his childhood musings, not literal but as points of departure to create (what was that wonderful word Pipper used -- "capaciousness") -- yes that's it, a three dimensional experience of time and space. The entire book should really be read from cover to cover as the effect is transforming and accumulative.
Now if you think I said anything, you're as crazy as i am but to experience this poem is to make friends with yourself all over again.

The Pupil does for the brief, meditative lyric what Merwin's Travels did for the elegy and The Folding Cliffs for the historical narrative, and that is to live as perhaps the only examples of those forms to attain the stature of greatness and beauty in the last 25 years. I hope they presage a new possibility in verse, but I don't know of another living poet writing even close to this well out of a faith in the transparency of the word, except maybe some late Creeley. I don't mean this to say that Merwin is dated, more that it must somehow still be possible, since he does it, to write referential poetry and poetry with clearly stated ideas in it without being boring. He often seeems to me like a rarified, or purified, ghost of what used to be considered human to human communication, alive somehow in a space we more remember than encounter, where there were transpersonal signifiers that allowed us to understand something of each other even as we slip away from the understanding and from each other. The poems themselves sometimes function as an elegy for this belief, but I hope it's premature, not eulogy. That said, I find it difficult to write about Merwin, in that his poems seem to mean exactly what they say, to float ethereal and wraithlike in the mind's capaciousness, a loveliness one fears to touch or think about. You can't read these poems if you're nervous, or looking to find impressive things to say about them, or enter Derridean chains of substitution, and in that regard, they become so transparent, so self-evident, as to enter their opposite and become as opaque as reflecting onyx. As much as I hate to say so, they hint toward the belief, normally misguided, that poetry this beautiful has to come from a spiritually realized person. I'd rather just consent to the idea that the defining lines of The Pupil are from the Marfa Lights, about how it is the light, not the darkness, that everyone feels the need to explain, and so here is a collection of poems of darkness like that, the darkness glimpsed in a just opened mouth, the word spoken as music and its reference as perhaps a shadow music in near perfect unison. The only poems that seem to handle this kind of writing this well are Rexroth's meandering mountain and river poems of cloud and light (only with a deeper and quieter engagement with human transiency), and what I'm able to imagine of the great Sung and Tang Chinese masters through the layers of sensibilities, translations and my dictionary Chinese. When reading these poems one is brought into a quiet center, or shadow or seam, between sorrow and beauty that exists through these expressions but cannot be expressed. This poetry is exquisite. I'd strongly recommend you buy it, calm down, and let it work its magic.

this book is a fantastic bargain. it's a lesson in how creative a mind can be when able to free associate, but it still shows the craft of a master poet. tate doesn't strain to be weird or resort to gimmicks, he just tells his funny little stories in poetic form and they always go to surprising places. i love his book.

Yes, the James Tate poems are up to something. As unique a collection of poems as you will find anywhere. In this book are poems that usurp America.

I had the pleasure of hearing James Tate read some of these poems at a writers' conference and was able to get an autograohed copy of this delightful book. The poems, some of which read like short stories, are multi-layered and you'll want to read them many times.

James Tate does it, ie does it and does it. James Tate is up to something.

This is the work of the original, the authentic, the one and only "enfant terrible". A powerful and magical ability to create images at the same time beautiful, repulsive and apocalyptic. The demoniac genius of Rimbaud shows up since his first poems and in his prose, notably the included "A Season in Hell". Rimbaud incarnates rage, suffering, the rebellious nature of every youth who is at the same time intelligent and sensitive. He gives and takes no quarter. He is not a complaining grunge type. He is mad at the gods, and human to the bone. He makes subsequent rock stars look like sissies. He travels dangerous ground and comes through very much alive and kicking. Some of my favorites: "Sun and Flesh", "Ophelie", "Venus Anadyomene", "Sleeping in the Valley", "The Crows", "Seven-year poets", of course the mesmerizing "The Drunken Boat", "What is that for us, my heart" (a dark presage of terrorism), "Memoire", and the wonderful "Comedy of Thirst", which includes these wonderful verses:

Peut-etre un soir m'attends
ou je boirai tranquille
en quelque vieille ville
et mourrai plus content:
puisque je suis patient.

Arthur Rimbaud's Poems and Prose speak a dark truth of life.

Rimbaud does not shield you from the realities of his time or his life. He writes of all the things he encountered as a child, soldier, poet, lover, and vagabond.

His poems are of his youth and his prose are of his life. The poems do not depict a romantic childhood but of one with struggle and cynism that he carried all his life. To read his poems is to experience his youthful assurance that the world was flawed. You will be affected by his dark perception of the world and awed by his realistic and symbolic style.

As for his prose, he writes of a tortured existence and bohemian lifestyle steeped in a wild reality that was his life.

My favorit passages from this book of poems and prose:

"One evening, I sat Beauty in my lap. - And I found her bitter. - And I cursed her." from A Season in Hell

"It is found again. What? Eternity. It is the sea, Gone with the sun." from Eternity

I very much enjoyed this book and thought Rimbaud changed modern poetry and writing and brought us into a new realistic age in writing. He opened the doors for some of the great 20th century writers.

We are not serious when we are 17...but are we more serious at 18 or later? He was so young, so sensitive; he wanted to find life, find a place, the place.Like Baudelaire, he was searching his own way, but not in a dark state of mind. The keywords to go through his works are: rebellion,youth and innocence...He is sometimes cruel but I think it's to hide his fragility...I like his childish way of creating; direct but full of hidden love he couldn't give.Read him and you'll probably find that we are not serious at 17 , but that although he found himself not serious, he was so intelligent and receptive to world despite his innocence...

Rimbaud is one of the most impressive poets of all time, never compromising himself to the drudgery of the world around him. If at any point in your life you have begun to feel like a free spirit, read Rimbaud's youthful verse and be prepared to percieve life transcedentally. Within his surrealistic vision you will find the vulnerability of weakness with the demonic anger of a pocessed soul. There are poems that stir every feeling of what it's like to be young, and free and drunk on the pleasures of life. A true poet.