My English teacher recently read us these poems by Cummings. I personally like his style. Anyone else?
PLEASE RESPECT COPYRIGHT LAWS: READ THIS BEFORE POSTING:
http://www.online-literature.com/for...ad.php?t=17515
..
..
Printable View
My English teacher recently read us these poems by Cummings. I personally like his style. Anyone else?
PLEASE RESPECT COPYRIGHT LAWS: READ THIS BEFORE POSTING:
http://www.online-literature.com/for...ad.php?t=17515
..
..
"somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond
any experience,your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near..."
I guess you could say I like him all right.
ihrocks
Yes I love the poet
I especially adore his poem (In The Time Of Dafodils(How know
Just starting to read ee cummings. Came across this poem, and it´s been in my head for days. I adore it, the rythm, the words (alliteration gets me evry time), but I have trouble understanding it. So, dear friends, how do you interpret this poem?
what if a much of a which of a wind
gives the truth to summer's lie;
bloodies with dizzying leaves the sun
and yanks immortal stars awry?
Blow king to beggar and queen to seem
(blow friend to fiend: blow space to time)
-when skies are hanged and oceans drowned,
the single secret will still be man
....
what if a dawn of a doom of a dream
bites this universe in two,
peels forever out of his grave
and sprinkles nowhere with me and you?
Blow soon to never and never to twice
(blow life to isn't; blow death to was)
-all nothing's only our hugest home;
the most who die, the more we live
e. e. cummings
Honestly this is the first time I ever read Cumming's and indeed it's kinda hard to understand
I hate trying to "explain" poems- it's like murdering them! But we all need it at times so here goes and I'm being brief- I'm sure you can do a much better job of expanding my hints, Isagel then I can.
There are two forces in the poem- the destructive, rapacious aspect oflife enshrined in the wind and the surviving, enduring positivity enshrined in the human spirit. Not in great men, or kings or queens, but in humanity as a whole. This second force is only very briefly indicated- the last line of each stanza. All the preceding lines in all the stanzas show the wind in a dance of destruction, blowing everthing awry and out of place- neither the seasons, nor the landscapes, not human dignities, not friendships or promises- nothing is exempt from that destruction. The only exception is the spirit of man which "is the single, unrevealed secret remaining, the indomitable spirit that after all this destruction "calls hello to the spring" and in indomitable optimism declares that in the most acute death there is also the most acute life.
Hope that helped a little!
I thinks it's about seeing yourself or something from a different perspectives, what if things are different or what if something happened and turn everything upside down or changes everything. Notice the line "Blow King to beggar.."
Everything seems possible to happen, and with this poetry, Cummings tried to make us wonder about the other side of everything...
Oh..I'm being a smart arse here..:)
Interesting- I think my point was to the effect that in this upside down opposite perspective world, the human spirit still manages to keep it's end up!;)Quote:
Originally posted by subterranean
Everything seems possible to happen, and with this poetry, Cummings tried to make us wonder about the other side of everything...
Oh, I don't really notice about the spirit thing, cause I only focus more on the physical perspective. True that materials can easily change, but when it comes to spirit it will never be that easy.
hi everybody
WHy is e.e. cummings often called"the Robin Hood of the American poetic circle"? Cite examples to illustrate your point.
Thank you!
I love ee cummings. You might find these sites helpful.
http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/eecummings/
http://www.barleywinegraphics.com/ha...s/cummings.htm
I really enjoy reading cummings.
Heh.
I've never encountered EE Cummings before, but I liked his "anyone lived in a pretty how town". His use of language is origional, what with the lack of grammatical aids other than parentheticals.
I love this, which I think one of the best love poems:
somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond
any experience,your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near
your slightest look will easily unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully,mysteriously)her first rose
....
(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens;only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody,not even the rain,has such small hands
and I love this too:
1(a
le
af
fa
ll
s)
one
l
iness
and this:
Me up at does
out of the floor
quietly Stare
a poisoned mouse
....
Did I mention that I love cummings' poetry? :goof:
This seems a favorite of many, including myself.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
A few other favorites of mine, along with the E.E. Cummings on my signature:
From "Songs VIII":
in the rain-
darkness, the sunset
being sheathed i sit and
think of you
the holy
city which is your face
your little cheeks the streets
of smiles
....
---
From "One XXXIV"
life hurl my
yes,crumbles hand (ful released conarafetti)ev eryflitter,inga. where
mil(lions of aflickf)litter ing brightmillion ofS hurl;edindog:ing
whom areEyes shy-dodge is bright cruMbshandful,quick-hurl edinwho
Is flittercrumbs,fluttercrimbs are floatfallin,g;allwhere:
a:crimbflitteringish is arefloatsis ingfallall!mil,shy milbrightlions
my(hurl flicker handful
in)dodging are shybrigHteyes is crumbs(alll)if,ey Es
---
Xaipe 54
maybe god
is a child
's hand) very carefully
bring
-ing
to you and to
me(and quite with
out crushing)the
papery weightless diminutive
world
with a hole in
it out
of which demons with wings would be streaming if
something had(maybe they couldn't
agree)not happened(and floating-
ly int
o
---
Xaipe 12
two
o o
ld
o
nce upo
n
a(
n
o mo
re
)time
me
n
I like those as well, especially "Xaipe 12". I hadn't read "One XXXIV" before and I am not sure right now I understand it properly. Maybe I should have another look at it when I am feeling a little brighter :goof:
As for "1", there are so many interpretations, ways to read that poem, like "Xaipe 12" in a way, which is why what makes it so popular maybe... It is like watching the clouds on a nice day... Everytime you look, you see them taking different shapes and figures...
I love the work of cummings, and when I came across this poem, I fell out of my chair. It's so witty, humorously juxtaposed, and philosophical even that I was literally on the floor with happiness. Read it. What do you think? :banana: oh, and how fitting for my nick name...hehe
From "the way to hump a cow is not"
the way to hump a cow is not
to get yourself a stool
but draw a line around the spot
and call it beautifool
to multiply because and why
dividing thens by nows
and adding and(i understand)
is hows to hump a cows
....
to vote for me(all decent mem
and wonens will allows
which if they don't to hell with them)
is hows to hump a cows
ee cummings
One word: gross!
Wow, very . . . ummm, interesting poem, Reason is a cow. E.E. Cummings definitely seemed like one of the more odd poets - very passionate, creative, and original, but some of his poetry seems really . . . out there. :D
I leave you to your own interpretations to another of Cummings' strange ones --
Quote:
may i feel said he
(i'll squeal said she
just once said he)
it's fun said she
(may i touch said he
how much said she
a lot said he)
why not said she
(let's go said he
not too far said she
what's too far said he
where you are said she)
....
(come?said he
ummm said shee)
you're divine!said he
(you are Mine said she)
Those are both terrible. Yuck. Bleh.
As in, he's good with rhyme, but yeah....
hey, that's my favourite ee cummings poem. i just love the way he wrote about it. and it makes me smile..
Oh I love so many of his poems... and yet there are still so many I cannot understand! Here is one of my favorites:
since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;
wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world
....
Hi guys i needed some help with the poem
"nobody loses all the time"
i had an uncle named
Sol who was a born failure and
nearly everybody said he should have gone
into vaudeville perhaps because my Uncle Sol could
sing McCann He Was A Diver on Xmas Eve like Hell Itself which
may or may not account for the fact that my Uncle
Sol indulged in that possibly most inexcusable
of all to use a highfalootin phrase
luxuries that is or to
wit farming and be
it needlessly
added
....
Are there any really important lines in here that have a meaning beyond the literal .. and if so can someone paraphrase those for me
like can soemone explain waht this line means and then paraphrase it
sing McCann He Was A Diver on Xmas Eve like Hell Itself which
also actually can someone explain this whole stanza
Sol indulged in that possibly most inexcusable
of all to use a highfalootin phrase
luxuries that is or to
wit farming and be
it needlessly
added
and paraphrase it if possible ? :S that's confusing
Hello, george1, welcome to the forum. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by george1
To tell all honesty, I cannot decipher this poem from any meaning other than a darkly comical, straight-forward poem. The term Sol, meaning sun, may have some significance, but, other than that, the real significance lies in the title 'no body loses all the time,' meaning, in Cummings' very odd humor, that, even though the character wanted to raise a farm, he still did after death. :lol:
Of course with Cummings' style of never using a lot of punctuation, and the like, this sentence can read with some difficulty. Basically, it communicates that Uncle Sol could sing a song, entitled 'McCann He Was A Diver,' and that Uncle Sol usually sang it on Christmas Eve; 'like Hell Itself' merely refers to common phrases, in the same way of saying 'bat out of hell.'Quote:
Originally Posted by george1
Again, with Cummings' lack of punctuation, this stanza, too, reads with a challenge. The only thing this stanza connotates mostly states that Uncle Sol loved speaking in strange, witty, and seemingly intelligent phrases such as 'luxuries that is or to wit farming and be it needlessly added.'Quote:
Originally Posted by george1
thank you for replying!
also is it possible to explain what the compasrion is with
"i remember we all cried like the Missouri"
wat does the poet mean we cried like the Missouri?
also..teh aside that is made
"and down went
my Uncle
Sol
and started a worm farm)"
how did he mak ea worm farm? I mean wont he be the one being eaten by the worms?
thanks again
Hello, george1, glad I can help! :nod:
When 'crying like the Missouri,' this could mean a few things. I do not feel familiar with the amount of rainfall in the midwest United States, but I imagine it more applies to the great amounts of water flowing through the immense river - hence the great amount of tears at Uncle Sol's funeral.Quote:
Originally Posted by george1
Precisely, in fact. This directs the reader to Cummings' sometimes very dark, cynical, and odd humor. Basically, Uncle Sol started a worm farm after his death in his grave. It does not necessarily mean the character actively started a worm farm, but succeeded well, according to Cummings, merely by dying and getting buried. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by george1
ok thanks again that was a lot of help understanding that poem :)
by the way from what i can undersand the theme of the poem is basically not to give up as life contains unexpected events and eventually everyone will "win" at something they keep trying...but does he actually kill himself?
or by drowning himself in the watertank
but somebody who'd given my Unde Sol a Victor
Victrola and records while he lived presented to
him upon the auspicious occasion of his decease a
scrumptious not to mention splendiferous funeral with
tall boys in black gloves and flowers and everything and
also do u know what the poem is referring to when it says "a Victor
Victrola"
I know i ask too many questions ..lol just want to know :D
A Victor Victrola is a make of gramophone.
pic
Cummings; one of my favorites since CU, his lightheartedness, the format and unexpected subject matter, unique forever. RJS
I do like the content of his work, but the lack of necessary capitalization distracts me, though it does contribute to his individual style.
I really like his poems.His style is so different from most other poets.
...And he was a fine artist too.Quote:
Originally Posted by autumn rose
His unique style (e.g. with syntax and pronunciation) probably what distinguished him from other modern poets:
From
"if i love You"
if i love You
(thickness means
worlds inhabited by roamingly
stern bright faeries
if you love
me) distance is mind carefully
luminous with innumerable gnomes
Of complete dream
....
Perhaps there remains for us some tree on a hillside, which every day we can take into our vision; there remains for us yesterday's street and the loyalty of a habit so much at ease when it stayed with us that it moved in and never left. Oh and night there is the night; when a wind full of infinite space gnawed at our faces. Rainer Maria Rilke trans. by Mitchell
Although the quote from the Duino Eligies by Rilke may not seem to follow the Cummings discussion, I find they have some things in common. Just missed being contemporary, both used free verse, both used sensitive and romantic themes, both had an anarchist tendency. Cummings mixed with that Paris group made up of authors/poets like Ezra Pound, T.S.Eliot, John dos Passos, and even William Faulkner. Cummings was also a painter and married to a professional photographer. All these associations must have reinforced his advant garde style including the unusual language patterns which he used like no other. RJS
I like him a whole bunch (direct to: my sig).
However, it seems to me that the copycats for his work annoy me more than usual.
Cummings- My second favorite poet right after Shakespeare. I LOVE his works, and cross my fingers to get a complete collection of them for my birthday.
When I read his stuff I connect with it so completely, I especially love:
if I should sleep with a lady called death
Humanity i love you
since feeling is first
may i feel said he
I have the last two memorized.
I'll post another good one that is short and sweet to glance at on occasion:
Quote:
love is a place
& through this place of
love move
(with brightness of peace)
all places
yes is a world
& in this world of
yes live
(skilfully curled)
all worlds
I like Cummings because he is an individualist. He reminds me of Thoreau in his independent thought and his great appreciation for the true nobilty of people. He respected and loved life from his own vantage point, apart from the conventions of society.
I also like how well his poems are put together: on paper they look like they might wind up being disjointed modernist trash, but he always sneaks in rhythm and euphony to suprise you when the poems are read aloud.
i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart) i am never without it (anywhere i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling) i fear no fate(for beautiful you are my world, my true) and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you here is the deepest secret nobody knows there is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)
Yep. I love him to pieces. I think he is one of those rare poets who is not only realistic, but he is also an optimist! With so much pessimistic poetry and prose tearing at our souls and hearts, its nice to know that ee cummings will always find some good in the often unfortunate reality of humanity.
In my sweet old etcetera, he exemplifies this. He may be about to do die in the trenches, but at least he is thinking about sex!
"dreaming,
et
cetera, of
Your smile
eyes knees and of your Etcetera)"
ee cummings
Another favorite:
the Cambridge ladies who live in furnished souls
are unbeautiful and have comfortable minds
(also, with the church's protestant blessings
daughters,unscented shapeless spirited)
they believe in Christ and Longfellow, both dead,
are invariably interested in so many things--
at the present writing one still finds
delighted fingers knitting for the is it Poles?
perhaps. While permanent faces coyly bandy
scandal of Mrs. N and Professor D
.... the Cambridge ladies do not care, above
Cambridge if sometimes in its box of
sky lavender and cornerless,the
moon rattles like a fragment of angry candy