April is Poetry Month!

Dr. Drib · 04-02-2021, 03:25 PM

What! A thread NOT about programming???!!!!

YES! April is Poetry Month.

Here's a book of poetry I'm currently reading (almost finished), one that I highly recommend:

The Black Chamber, by Donald Hall

What do YOU recommend.

Uncle Robin · 04-02-2021, 05:36 PM

Reading more poetry is one of my 2021 Reading Challenge goals here.

So far. I have enjoyed them all, although the WWI was hard work. The Māori and Canadian anthologies were very interesting, and the Faiz had the added advantage of having LOTS of the works included available to watch performed on YouTube, including Iqbal Bano's legendary performance of Hum Dekhenge.

poohbear_nc · 04-02-2021, 05:41 PM

The Best Poems of Jane Kenyon

A posthumous collection selected by her husband, Donald Hall just before his death, she had such an ear for language - these poems should be read out loud. Simple language with profound depths of meaning.

Dr. Drib · 04-02-2021, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

The Best Poems of Jane Kenyon

A posthumous collection selected by her husband, Donald Hall just before his death, she had such an ear for language - these poems should be read out loud. Simple language with profound depths of meaning.

I know about her, and her unfortunate early death from leukemia. I'll pick this one up.

THANKS!

issybird · 04-03-2021, 08:41 AM

A few I’ve been dipping into lately:

Collected Poems by R.S. Thomas
Sinners Welcome by Mary Karr
Hunger Moon by Marge Piercy

Poetry is a “dipping-into” thing for me. I can’t read it straight through, or at least I could, but my enjoyment and appreciation would nosedive. I’ve mentioned in another context that I probably prefer poetry in paper format because it displays properly; another reason is that it’s really more accessible to flipping through and settling down on a single poem (or two!) which is sufficient until the next time.

JSWolf · 04-03-2021, 09:32 AM

There once was a man from Nantucket...

Luffy · 04-03-2021, 10:55 AM

...who... DOH!'

I'm reading Beowulf. Does the translation count as poetry?

JSWolf · 04-03-2021, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luffy

...who... DOH!'

I'm reading Beowulf. Does the translation count as poetry?

IMHO, it counts as a sleep aid.

Luffy · 04-04-2021, 02:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

IMHO, it counts as a sleep aid.

You'll probably love the Seamus Heaney version. It is very fast paced, and reads like a short book. No rhymes!

kyrilson · 04-05-2021, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luffy

You'll probably love the Seamus Heaney version. It is very fast paced, and reads like a short book. No rhymes!

That is the version I would recommend. Seamus Heaney is one of my favorite poets.

poohbear_nc · 04-12-2021, 01:57 PM

Ruth Stone - whom I discovered via Elizabeth Gilbert's TED talk - powerful rural imagery and emotions - one of my favorite poems is "The Möbius Strip of Grief"

issybird · 04-12-2021, 04:13 PM

An old favorite of mine since adolescence (of course

) is Edna St. Vincent Millay, who’s now public domain in Life + 70 countries with much of her work public domain in the US. Here’s her Spring:

To what purpose, April, do you return again?
Beauty is not enough.
You can no longer quiet me with the redness
Of little leaves opening stickily.
I know what I know.
The sun is hot on my neck as I observe
The spikes of the crocus.
The smell of the earth is good.
It is apparent that there is no death.
But what does that signify?
Not only under ground are the brains of men
Eaten by maggots.
Life in itself
Is nothing,
An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs.
It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,
April
Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.

poohbear_nc · 04-12-2021, 06:31 PM

I frequently return to volumes by William Meredith and Margaret Atwood. Meredith could find the wonder in every day occurrences, and Atwood had written some of the most acerbic poetry I've ever enjoyed reading.

issybird · 04-15-2021, 09:43 AM

I was reminded of one of my favorite poets, Gerard Manley Hopkins, as he was quoted in a novel I just finished.

Uncle Robin · 04-15-2021, 09:59 AM

Reading the 1100-page Australian Poetry since 1788 has reinforced all the advantages of ebooks for me - ESPECIALLY when it comes to finding lines I want to remember. Leon Gellert's Rendezvous, one of many powerful poems from the Gallipoli campaign struck me with its references to "the April sky" - making now an apt time to be reading it.

04-02-2021, 03:25 PM	#1
Dr. Drib Grand Sorcerer Posts: 44,747 Karma: 55645321 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Peru Device: Kindle: Oasis 3, Voyage WiFi; Kobo: Libra 2, Aura One	April is Poetry Month! What! A thread NOT about programming???!!!! YES! April is Poetry Month. Here's a book of poetry I'm currently reading (almost finished), one that I highly recommend: The Black Chamber, by Donald Hall What do YOU recommend. Last edited by Dr. Drib; 04-02-2021 at 05:33 PM.

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04-02-2021, 05:36 PM	#2
Uncle Robin Diligent dilettante Posts: 3,417 Karma: 48736498 Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: in my mind Device: Kobo Sage; Kobo Libra H2O	Reading more poetry is one of my 2021 Reading Challenge goals here. So far. I have enjoyed them all, although the WWI was hard work. The Māori and Canadian anthologies were very interesting, and the Faiz had the added advantage of having LOTS of the works included available to watch performed on YouTube, including Iqbal Bano's legendary performance of Hum Dekhenge.

04-02-2021, 05:41 PM	#3
poohbear_nc Now what? Posts: 58,852 Karma: 135181808 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	*The Best Poems of Jane Kenyon* A posthumous collection selected by her husband, Donald Hall just before his death, she had such an ear for language - these poems should be read out loud. Simple language with profound depths of meaning.

04-03-2021, 08:41 AM	#5
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 20,226 Karma: 222235366 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: H2O, Aura One, PW5	A few I’ve been dipping into lately: *Collected Poems* by R.S. Thomas *Sinners Welcome* by Mary Karr *Hunger Moon* by Marge Piercy Poetry is a “dipping-into” thing for me. I can’t read it straight through, or at least I could, but my enjoyment and appreciation would nosedive. I’ve mentioned in another context that I probably prefer poetry in paper format because it displays properly; another reason is that it’s really more accessible to flipping through and settling down on a single poem (or two!) which is sufficient until the next time.

04-03-2021, 09:32 AM	#6
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,974 Karma: 128903378 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	There once was a man from Nantucket...

04-03-2021, 10:55 AM	#7
Luffy Wizard Posts: 4,461 Karma: 429063498 Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Mauritius Device: Kindle Paperwhite 4	...who... DOH!' I'm reading Beowulf. Does the translation count as poetry?

04-12-2021, 01:57 PM	#11
poohbear_nc Now what? Posts: 58,852 Karma: 135181808 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	Ruth Stone - whom I discovered via Elizabeth Gilbert's TED talk - powerful rural imagery and emotions - one of my favorite poems is "The Möbius Strip of Grief"

04-12-2021, 04:13 PM	#12
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 20,226 Karma: 222235366 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: H2O, Aura One, PW5	An old favorite of mine since adolescence (of course ) is Edna St. Vincent Millay, who’s now public domain in Life + 70 countries with much of her work public domain in the US. Here’s her *Spring*: To what purpose, April, do you return again? Beauty is not enough. You can no longer quiet me with the redness Of little leaves opening stickily. I know what I know. The sun is hot on my neck as I observe The spikes of the crocus. The smell of the earth is good. It is apparent that there is no death. But what does that signify? Not only under ground are the brains of men Eaten by maggots. Life in itself Is nothing, An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs. It is not enough that yearly, down this hill, April Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.

04-12-2021, 06:31 PM	#13
poohbear_nc Now what? Posts: 58,852 Karma: 135181808 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	I frequently return to volumes by William Meredith and Margaret Atwood. Meredith could find the wonder in every day occurrences, and Atwood had written some of the most acerbic poetry I've ever enjoyed reading.

04-15-2021, 09:43 AM	#14
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 20,226 Karma: 222235366 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: H2O, Aura One, PW5	I was reminded of one of my favorite poets, Gerard Manley Hopkins, as he was quoted in a novel I just finished.

04-15-2021, 09:59 AM	#15
Uncle Robin Diligent dilettante Posts: 3,417 Karma: 48736498 Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: in my mind Device: Kobo Sage; Kobo Libra H2O	Reading the 1100-page Australian Poetry since 1788 has reinforced all the advantages of ebooks for me - ESPECIALLY when it comes to finding lines I want to remember. Leon Gellert's Rendezvous, one of many powerful poems from the Gallipoli campaign struck me with its references to "the April sky" - making now an apt time to be reading it.