First Person: Virginia Woolf Meets T. S. Eliot
From Virginia Woolf’s Diary on November 21, 1918: I was interrupted somewhere on this page by the arrival of Mr … Continue Reading First Person: Virginia Woolf Meets T. S. Eliot
Vermeer in Bosnia
If anyone asks you about the Why of art, especially in the face of atrocity or just its apparent impracticality—for … Continue Reading Vermeer in Bosnia
First Person: Harry Kessler in Florence (1896)
I’ve always had the sneaking suspicion that the Italian Renaissance is, aside from a few names, pretty boring compared to … Continue Reading First Person: Harry Kessler in Florence (1896)
Yeats Apocalyptic: “The Second Coming,” “Meru,” “The Gyres”
The Second Coming Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the … Continue Reading Yeats Apocalyptic: “The Second Coming,” “Meru,” “The Gyres”
Laurie Sheck’s poem “The Stockroom”
The Stockroom I watch the boy shoot up. His head woozes back, eyes fluttering lightly into what land, what dreamy … Continue Reading Laurie Sheck’s poem “The Stockroom”
Dostoevsky’s Nightmare
Raskolnikov’s horrible dream, from early on in Crime & Punishment: Raskolnikov had a fearful dream. He dreamt he was back … Continue Reading Dostoevsky’s Nightmare
Wordsworth, from “Poems on the Naming of Places”
Wordsworth, from “Poems on the Naming of Places It was an April Morning: fresh and clear The Rivulet, delighting in … Continue Reading Wordsworth, from “Poems on the Naming of Places”
Archibald MacLeish, “Voyage West”
Archibald MacLeish, “Voyage West” There was a time for discoveries — For the headlands looming above in the First light … Continue Reading Archibald MacLeish, “Voyage West”
Ted Hughes – “Crow’s Song about God”
Ted Hughes – “Crow’s Song about God” Somebody is sittingUnder the gatepost of heavenUnder the lintelOn which are written the … Continue Reading Ted Hughes – “Crow’s Song about God”
H. D., “Sea Iris,” “Sea Violet”
Sea Iris I Weed, moss-weed, root tangled in sand, sea-iris, brittle flower, one petal like a shell is broken, and … Continue Reading H. D., “Sea Iris,” “Sea Violet”
Ezra Pound, “Portrait d’une Femme”
Ezra Pound, “Portrait d’une Femme” Your mind and you are our Sargasso Sea, London has swept about you this score … Continue Reading Ezra Pound, “Portrait d’une Femme”
W. B. Yeats, “Meru”
W. B. Yeats, “Meru” Civilisation is hooped together, broughtUnder a rule, under the semblance of peaceBy manifold illusion; but man’s … Continue Reading W. B. Yeats, “Meru”
Carl Sandburg, “Chicago”
Carl Sandburg, “Chicago” Hog Butcher for the World, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight … Continue Reading Carl Sandburg, “Chicago”
Amy Lowell, “Lilacs”
Amy Lowell, “Lilacs” Lilacs, False blue, White, Purple, Color of lilac, Your great puffs of flowers Are everywhere in this … Continue Reading Amy Lowell, “Lilacs”
Edith Wharton, “Terminus”
Edith Wharton, “Terminus” Wonderful was the long secret night you gave me, my Lover, Palm to palm, breast to breast … Continue Reading Edith Wharton, “Terminus”
Wordsworth & Eternity at St. Paul’s
I’m stunned every time I read this: one of Wordsworth’s best short poems (& that’s saying something), & perhaps one … Continue Reading Wordsworth & Eternity at St. Paul’s
