Poetry

[leafofgrass]

As I sit here typing from the bowels of Levinas (god, I can't wait for this semester to be over!!!), I became bored. So bored that I checked up on livejournal. livingfossil (hey, you've been getting some press in my journa lately, eh?) asked for reading suggestions and I made some. The point here is that he asked about poetry, and I like peotry a lot even

Comments

[petitesoeur]

Shakespeare

Octavio Paz

Pablo Neruda

Dorothy Parker

Wallace Stevens

William Carlos Williams

Diane Wakoski

...at times I almost dream
I, too, have spent a life the sages' way,
And tread once more familiar paths. Perchance
I perished in an arrogant self-reliance
Ages ago; and in that act, a prayer
For one more chance went up so earnest, so
Instinct with better light let in by death,
That life was blotted out-not so completely
But scattered wrecks enough of it remain,
Dim memories, as now, when once more seems
The goal in sight again...
[Robert Browning Paracelsus]

Song of Childhood
By Peter Handke
http://www.wim-wenders.com/movies/movies_spec/wingsofdesire/wod-song-of-childhood.htm

and the list could go on as poetry as well as paintings, and rock 'n roll feeds my soul

[leafofgrass]

That's a great list as well! I really like the sonnets, but Willie Shakes gets enough press without me! I am alos a big Wallace Stevens fan, though not so much of William Carlos Williams (that whole movement is somewhat lost on me). I have a number of Neruda books, but have never read Wakoski--I'll be sure to look her up soon.

Thanks for the poems as well, and, as you probably could guess, I like them both (especially the second, the end gave me a bout of spine-tinglies).

[alsoelsewhere]

I've read you for a few months but don't think I've yet commented. Josh. Presently hailing from Seattle

Hölderlin?

[leafofgrass]

Ha! You have o be the first person who I've spoken to outside of Heidegger circles who has a thing for Hölderlin! I can't believe that I forgot about Blake! I like appreciate his works a great deal as well, but for some reason Keats is just more appealing to me.

As far asreading Whitman goes? No, I don't really know. In a class once, we had to record ourselves reading parts of "Song of Myself" aloud. When we brought them to class and listened to them, it was startling to hear how radically different people read the poem.

Pleased to make our acquaintance, I hope you've been enjoying reading what I've written!

Re: Hölderlin?

[arynash]

Rilke himself was huge into Holderlin. I've always wanted to read him since one of my favorite Rilke poems is called "To Holderlin."

[picarosado]

I usually read poetry to ease my boredom and take a breather from books. I love the classics but when it comes to modern poetry, I feel it is best to write about the prosaic details in life. My guilty pleasure for two years now is Leonard Cohen. I also love:

Yeats (I love the cyclical theory of history)
Eliot (classic)
Nabakov (like reading a chess game and for the obvious reason that he is my favorite author)
Auden (only poet to make me cry)
E.B. Browning (I love her political poems. She is a very romantic poet, but I truly do believe that her romantic poems are subpar when you read about her perspective on papal dipolmacy)
Ovid (He gave great advice on how to be a good kisser When you're 13 and an avid bookwork trying to meet boys, you turn to someone you can trust. :)

[leafofgrass]

Musicians can be poets as well, it just isn't normally the case. If you haven't heard him yet, Iron and Wine is an incredible poet/songwriter. I recommend him as such highly.

[picarosado]

Speaking of musicians, have you heard the new Stephen Malkmus album "Face the Truth?"

[leafofgrass]

I have not, but being a Pavement fan, I'm interested. I didn't like his first solo album: it was a little too pop-y. I liked the Spiral Stairs spin-off "Preston School of Industry" better, but it was obvious that they were just going to do the Pavement thing indefinitely and that Malkmus was a big loss. I'll give it a listen, though. Thanks for the tip!

[livingfossil]

I find poetry as a fine medium for grasping of the problems that vex me occasionally. The sort of confusions or contradictions that arise from the process of living that are essentially before any sort of formalized understanding is possible. Maybe that makes no sense. But it seems to be true.

I read it to see how other people have lived. Because any great poet has put a very great deal of his or her life into a poem.

Some of my favorite poets: Anne Carson; Robert Hass; Jack Gilbert; Rosalía de Castro; John Ashberry; T.S. Eliot. If you were to read but one person from this list, it must be Carson. She's phenomenal.

[leafofgrass]

I'm going too the library tomorrow, I'llpick up a volume... thanks for the tip! Besides Eliot, I haven't heard of these folks, I'll have to checkthem out.

Hass

[arynash]

I've never read any Hass, though I've always wanted to. As a joke, a couple of friends of mine gave me this book, Into the Garden: A Wedding Anthology. It was edited by Robert Hass and Steven Mitchell. At first, I thought that it would really be cheesy and annoying.

What it ended up being was a further introduction into the world of poetry. It was in this little volume I discovered Rilke, Rumi and a host of others. Rilke is possibly one of the greatest influences on my life. Steven Mitchell is my favorite Rilke translator.

The two poets chose poetry that poets would love. There was something wonderful about what they selected- I still pick up that book from time to time for new ideas- new takes on what to read.

Anyway, I was wondering if you could recommend a place to start with Hass.

Thanks.

Re: Hass

[livingfossil]

The only thing I can tell you is where not to start: Human Wishes. And, that may not be the best advice. Of his four volumes, it's the only one I haven't read like 4 or 5 times. I particularly like Praise, but Sun under wood is what got me started on poetry in the first place... Really, anything by Hass is consistently very good. I just don't think I am old enough for Human Wishes yet (it was written during the bad times of his first marriage, and it seems to be much much darker).

My favorite Hass poem (well, maybe not very favorite) is Meditation ad Lagunitas. I've got it memorized. Take that platonic and derridian philosophy!

[arynash]

You know how I feel about Rilke.

In terms of older stuff, here's a few:

Rumi: Mideaval Muslim poet. If you like Rilke, I think you'll probably like Rumi.

George Herbert: British guy. Wrote mostly religious poems. I've read some of it. I haven't read much Donne, but what you wrote about him reminded me of Herbert.

Christopher Smart: Haven't read too much of him. But have loved everything I read.

Newer stuff:

The first poet I loved was Wilfred Owen. British WWI poet- but you likely know him already given that you know the War Requiem.

I also love Adrienne Rich. If you only read one poem by her, you should read "The fact of a Doorframe" It's possibly the best poem about poetry I've ever seen. If I remember correctly, there's a verse that reads:

Now again, poetry,
violent, arcane, common,
hewn out of the commonest living substance
into archway, portal, frame.It's rather raw stuff. I remember that I once answered Rich and Rilke when asked what poets I liked, and the person told me that was a surprising combination- but you should

[livingfossil]

I forgot about Milosz! He's excellent as well.

[leafofgrass]

Yea, I agree. I've only read a bit of his stuff, but I liked it a lot. I just didn't feel I had anything too productive to say about the greatest Pole of the 20th Century.