1. The Raven
Let's get an obvious one out of the way first. Yes, I highly recommend Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" for a read. The imagery and feeling in this one is no joke--not to mention that slight creep-factor that makes it a perfect Halloween read. A poem about a man deep into sadness and grieving for his lost love, Lenore, while a raven comes to mock him of a truth he already knows all too well. Come on, who wouldn't want to read that? Even The Simpsons used it for their very first Treehouse of Horror. (And it's quite good too. Don't believe me? Watch the vid I linked.)
"The Tyger" by William Blake is a longtime favorite of mine. I can still do the opening stanza from memory. "Tyger, tyger burning bright / in the forests of the night / what immortal hand or eye / dare frame thy fearful symmetry" I didn't look that up. Which means the punctuation might be wrong--and I'm not talking about the /. That's how you quote poetry. Anyhow, I have loved this poem from the very first moment I read it. Something about the flow of it, the dramatic flare of it. It comes from the era of the Romantic poets (which might not think what you think it does). The Romantics thought that the closest one could get to God was to be in nature, so a lot of their poetry tended to lean in that direction. Funnily, I always thought of a line from V for Vendetta when it came to that definition, "God is in the rain." Unrelated. I also had a teacher that said that this was the beginning of certain theories that perhaps God didn't create all the animals. This is taken mostly from the line, "Did he who made the lamb, make thee?" And if you just simply don't have time to read this one, Tangerine Dream sang the poem. It's very lovely. Check that vid out too.
Another one by Romantic poet, William Blake. This one is short, sweet, and to the point. But, for a short piece (only eight lines long) it packs a lot of beautiful things in... as well as a sinking feeling of dread. I was never made to study this one. I stumbled upon it in a textbook, not too far away from "Tyger" and read it on my own. I always wondered why my teachers never bothered to include it. After all, I had been made to study much shorter poems than this. My own idea of its meaning, just doing nothing but having read it, would be the corruption of innocence. Yeah... quick warning, not a lot of these poems are happy.
4. The Lady of Shalott
Remember up top when I made that crack about Tennyson? Yeah, this one--by Alfred, Lord Tennyson--is not a shorty. It's not his longest poem, by any means, but it has its length. But it's for good reason. This one is about a woman cursed to stay up in a tower and weave magical images she sees in a mirror. Also, this is a poem that is heavily steeped in Arthurian legend... especially since Sir Lancelot is even in it. Long to read, but very satisfying, as it is shorter than most Arthurian stories... but you still get a whole tale in this one. Also, another one that was sang, this time by Loreena McKennitt.
5. The River-Merchant's Wife: A Letter
This one is actually by Li Po, but this exact translation was done by Ezra Pound. The story of two children arranged into marriage, who fall in love eventually, only to have the husband leave for work to possibly never return. I gotta be honest, when this one was first assigned to me (I got my Bachelor's in English, can't you tell?) I had never heard of this. I had heard of Ezra Pound, but not this particular poem. It's beautiful. I know I'm saying that a lot, but this one really is. I quote a pair of lines out of it whenever I can because I was just struck--from that first reading to now--by the power of them. "I desired my dust to be mingled with yours / forever and forever, and forever" Isn't that lovely? Isn't that the deepest love? She never wants to be away from him, even in death. Sadly, though, this is a letter she is writing while he is away on dangerous waters. So... yeah... but still, lovely.
6. My Last Duchess
This MF-er here. Ooh. This is by Robert Browning, but it is told from the point of view of the Duke, who is showing around a visitor--a representative--through his art gallery. The slyness in this one. This one will kindle a quiet fury in you. It may take a couple of readings. I'll spoil you and tell you why you should be angry. The Duke is showing this man about, and he stops when he comes to a painting of a beautiful woman. "That's my last duchess painted on the wall" That's the first line. And you're like, "Okay..." Then, the very next part, "looking as if she were alive." So it compels you to read on... like, maybe you should be sad he lost his wife. NOPE. Jackass had her killed because she "smiled" at too many guys. He implies, yes, that she was unfaithful, but Browning does such a great job in letting us, the reader, know that she was never true. But the Duke had her killed anyway. Oh, and the real kicker? The guy he's showing around represents the father of a man who is negotiating with the Duke to get his daughter married off to him. Oh, it's like watching a good drama.
7. Because I could not stop for Death
Ah, Emily Dickinson. What a wonderful recluse/poet. You know, I was picked in high school to appear in an article--or something--about students and their favorite poets. My teacher at the time picked this one out for me--since I was in high school, and while I loved reading, I didn't know crap about poetry. The photographer that was there to take a picture of us and our printed out poems saw the title of mine, and said something to the effect of, "Oh, that sounds deep and hard to understand." I replied--because I have been awkward my ENTIRE life, "Not really." I had no idea what I was talking about. I had read the damn thing while walking to the lobby. But you know what? I now stand by those words. Doesn't make this poem any less great. The idea is simple, no one gets to tell Death to wait a minute. If you're busy, then, well, you know what? He'll come pick you up. There's a good deal more imagery to it, very much dealing with the idea of life after death and the idea of what's left behind. But it's not one that I feel many would have to puzzle over.
8. Taking Off Emily Dickinson's Clothes
Why, yes, I did deliberately place this one here. Why do you ask? This is the first of the total three contemporary poets that I have on this list. This is by Billy Collins. First of all, before you read this one, familiarize yourself with Emily Dickinson. Her life and her style of writing. She's super famous, shouldn't take you long. I, sadly, when I had to read this aloud to a bunch of my fellow English students, had to explain the funny bits. Excuse me, but wasn't I in an ENGLISH LIT class? But no, I'm not bitter. Anyhow, this one tells the story of the nameless protagonist--presumably the poet--getting ready to have an, ahem, intimate evening with Ms. Dickinson. But never fear, this one is clean. It's all very tongue-in-cheek humor, and after this depressing list, it's great for a laugh.
9. Homage to my Hips
Another contemporary, this one is by Lucille Clifton. A very empowering poem for a woman to read. Simply, this poem is about the power her hips--and thus, her body--has. I would quote my favorite lines from this one, but I don't want to spoil it. They are the very last ones, and they just make you wanna shout, "Hell yeah!" If you are ever feeling down about yourself or your body, read this one. It'll do you good.
10. The Torn-Up Road
This one is by Richard Siken, and I'll throw a couple of warnings up for the more sensitive among us. Firstly, this poem may be describing a sexual encounter. Secondly, the only place I could find the whole text of it was on a Livejournal that dedicates the poem to Sam/Dean from Supernatural--a relationship I don't support as they are brothers (ew). But this is not only the last poem on my list, but the last of the contemporaries. I stumbled upon this one because of a wallpaper I saw on Deviantart--that I thought was pretty--had a quote from it on the piece. The quote, incidentally, is my favorite from the poem. "I want to tell you this story without having to be in it:" The more I read this poem, the darker it gets. And yes, it most certainly describes a sexual encounter... between two men. I'm pretty sure. I'm no expert, but yeah. But it's powerful and strong, and some of the lines hit right at home for anyone who has ever had a rough relationship--perhaps not abusive, but rough. Or has even just had a rough time in an otherwise good relationship. But this one is not for the kids.
And that's it, my 10 favorite poems. Most of these of quotes I think of almost daily--which should say something. I encourage you to read them, think them over, and use them as jumping off points to find new poetry. Also, if one of your favorite poems didn't make the list, tell me what it is. I'd love to read them, and read why they're your favorite. See you all next week.
And this served as a reminder that we have the exact same taste in poetry! <3
ReplyDelete