DAILY PHOTO: Yehliu Geopark on a Dreary Winter Day
4
Author Archives: B Gourley
BOOKS: “Robert Frost: Sixteen Poems to Learn by Heart” ed. by Jay Parini
Robert Frost: Sixteen Poems to Learn by Heart by Robert FrostMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Amazon.in Page
Release Date: March 12, 2024
This book presents sixteen of Frost’s poems, each with a commentary on the poem, how events in Frost’s life influenced said poem, and assorted background details. It includes the “greatest hits” (e.g. “Mending Wall,” “The Road Not Taken,” “Fire and Ice,” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,”) a few of Frost’s more obscure works, and a number that are in-between in status.
I found the commentaries to be interesting and readable, which is important as Frost’s poems are now in the public domain, and so the value of this volume hinges on Parini’s work. Parini includes some stories that offer insight into Frost’s mindset, as with the story of the lady who approached him after a reading to ask the meaning of “Fire and Ice.” Reading Frost isn’t like reading, say, Allen Ginsberg, the latter being one who put it all out there – unabashedly, Frost’s poetry is more guarded and deals more in nuanced metaphor. This makes a volume like this useful if it can offer any insight into the poet’s mindset, which I think Parini does.
I considered reading this book to be an opportunity to learn more about the poems and poet, and – therefore – did not heavily weight the stated theme of presenting poems that should be rote memorized. I mention this because I suspect Parini had other criteria in mind as well. While the book does include poems that are easily memorized (e.g. “Fire and Ice” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”) as well as poems that have messages worth learning by heart (e.g. “Mending Wall” and “The Road Not Taken,”) it also includes poems that aren’t so memorable because they are long, not especially lyrical, or not particularly filled with stand-out ideas or vivid imagery (e.g. “Directive,” “The Wood Pile,” and “Birches.”) This also begs the question, why one wouldn’t include a poem like “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” which is short, lyrical, and has an easily grasped message (i.e. easily memorized.)
As for ancillary matter, there is an appendix that offers tips for memorizing poems as well as a short “recommended reading” bibliography.
That said, I enjoyed reading this book; I got a lot out of Parini’s commentary, and I would recommend the book for poetry readers.
View all my reviews
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
“So We’ll Go No More a Roving” by Lord Byron [w/ Audio]
So, we'll go no more a roving
So late into the night,
Though the heart be still as loving,
And the moon be still as bright.
For the sword outwears its sheath,
And the soul wears out the breast,
And the heart must pause to breathe,
And love itself have rest.
Though the night was made for loving,
And the day returns too soon,
Yet we'll go no more a roving
By the light of the moon.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Cat Dandy [Kyōka]
cat on a porch rail
preens between naps
to look good
for the twenty waking
minutes of its day.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
DAILY PHOTO: Wanxing Temple, Kaohsiung
Five Wise Lines (Jan 2024)
Every so often I run into a sentence that blows my mind a little bit. Here are a few recent examples:
We may be in the universe as dogs and cats are in our libraries, seeing the books and hearing the conversation, but having no inkling of the meaning of it all.
William james
One must read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles to be an educated man.
Old chinese adage (As Translated by ha jin in The Banished Immortal)
Poetry is an echo asking a shadow to dance.
Carl Sandburg
Distrust of grammar is the first requisite of philosophizing.
Ludwig wittgenstein
He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that.
John stuart mill
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
“Rouged Lips” by Qin Guan [w/ Audio]
Drunk, me and my boat float freely downriver.
Unfortunately, I can't stay amid the flowers.
Hazy waters sprawl; sun, countless mountains high.
Red blossoms shower downward.
I don't know how I got here.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
PROMPT: Clutter
Where can you reduce clutter in your life?
My mind. It’s a constant battle.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Sanctum Discord [Haiku]
the inner sanctum:
an insect chirps ceaselessly,
but remains unseen.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
BOOKS: “A Year of Last Things” by Michael Ondaatje
A Year of Last Things: Poems by Michael OndaatjeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Amazon.in Page
Release Date: March 19, 2024
This collection consists of free verse and prose poems, largely of an autobiographical nature (or presented as such.) A number of these autobiographical poems are at once travel poems, tales from the author’s visits to various countries.
While Ondaatje is more well-known for his critically acclaimed novels (e.g. “The English Patient” and “Anil’s Ghost,”) he’s not new to the poetic artform. The poems in this volume are clever, readable, nicely paced, and interesting. I enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it for poetry readers.
View all my reviews
