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6th out of 35 books
—
13 voters
A Thousand Mornings
by
Mary Oliver
In A Thousand Mornings, Mary Oliver returns to the imagery that has come to define her life’s work, transporting us to the marshland and coastline of her beloved home, Provincetown, Massachusetts. In these pages, Oliver shares the wonder of dawn, the grace of animals, and the transformative power of attention. Whether studying the leaves of a tree or mourning her adored do...more
Hardcover, 96 pages
Published
October 11th 2012
by Penguin Press HC, The
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I am so new to poetry.
It used to bother me that the "rules" of poetry were not clear. I didn't like puzzles that did not have answers and I don't have a literary decoder ring. I was never very good at memorizing passages (I can't even repeat a joke back to you in a way that keeps the funny). There were some other feeble excuses - most of which have absolutely nothing to do with poetry - but all that matters is that I kept on not reading poetry.
*Quite a few years back, I happened upon my first A...more
It used to bother me that the "rules" of poetry were not clear. I didn't like puzzles that did not have answers and I don't have a literary decoder ring. I was never very good at memorizing passages (I can't even repeat a joke back to you in a way that keeps the funny). There were some other feeble excuses - most of which have absolutely nothing to do with poetry - but all that matters is that I kept on not reading poetry.
*Quite a few years back, I happened upon my first A...more
I arose early on 10-11-12 to check the status of my Amazon package containing puer ginger tea and 3 poetry books including A Thousand Mornings. The tracking told me it have been delivered. I found the package on the porch.
I proceeded to make the tea and to sit down in my chair to read the entire volume.
Mary thankfully takes us back to all manner of nature and her dog Percy and the black snake and forest birds and the living ocean waves. All the while commenting on being alive and exuding gratit...more
I proceeded to make the tea and to sit down in my chair to read the entire volume.
Mary thankfully takes us back to all manner of nature and her dog Percy and the black snake and forest birds and the living ocean waves. All the while commenting on being alive and exuding gratit...more
The book's description uses the words "transformative power of attention." Paying attention is something I've been working at, being still enough to notice. This is a thoughtful collection of simple prose that often has a tiny, thought-provoking line at the end of a poem. Mary Oliver is considered to be America's greatest poet, but the poems are so simple that this "title" seems deceiving. For those who aren't sure they like poetry, Mary Oliver is pleasing to read.
Easy to read and easy to love, Oliver's poetry is playful and refreshing. While some poems can be impersonal, or so personal they alienate nearly everyone, the poems in A Thousand Mornings are all about patience with and careful observation of the simple and unremarkable, and letting those simple but elusive truths reveal themselves. Oliver's A Thousand Mornings isn't a cerebral tangle of word play and symbolism, but a beautiful, seemingly effortless uncovering of the often overlooked and undera...more
I would recommend this volume even if only for the two heart-rending poems that find Oliver mourning the loss (and experiencing the return) of her beloved dog, Percy. Overall, though, this is a wise, gracious, and consoling collection, marked by freshness, candor, and curiosity, by vivid imagery and conversational cadences, by a vibrant engagement with the natural world. Oliver is an acute observer of the everyday, of the simple pleasures and common sights that, to reverse Wordsworth's logic, ar...more
IF I WERE
There are lot of ways to dance and
to spin, sometimes it just starts my
feet first then my entire body, I am
spinning no one can see it but it is
happening. I am so glad to be alive,
I am so glad to be loving and loved.
even if I were close to the finish,
even if I were at my final breath, I
would be here to take a stand, bereft
of astonishment, but for them.
If I were a Sufi for sure I would be
one of the spinning kind.
Mary O writes often and wisely about the mockingbird, as if she has cho...more
There are lot of ways to dance and
to spin, sometimes it just starts my
feet first then my entire body, I am
spinning no one can see it but it is
happening. I am so glad to be alive,
I am so glad to be loving and loved.
even if I were close to the finish,
even if I were at my final breath, I
would be here to take a stand, bereft
of astonishment, but for them.
If I were a Sufi for sure I would be
one of the spinning kind.
Mary O writes often and wisely about the mockingbird, as if she has cho...more
I'm not usually much of a poetry reader, but this slim and lovely volume was irresistible. I would call her poetry "accessible," a term that some artists dislike. I hope Ms. Oliver doesn't because that's what it is. I love her ode to her little dog Percy who apparently came to her after being abused, and did not live long. She describes, in one poem, Percy coming back. She reaches out to touch him, but she can't because he is like music. You can't touch that either. He tells her that eternity is...more
I have loved Mary Oliver's poetry ever since I was introduced to it by a dear friend about eight years ago. I was very excited to learn, last summer, that she would be publishing another volume this past fall. It was a lovely read, and I look forward to referencing it again and again.
These were my favorite poems: Foolishness? No, it's not; If I were; Poem of the one world; And Bob Dylan too; Hurricane; The mockingbird; An old story; and The man who has many answers.
Foolishness? No, it's not
Some...more
These were my favorite poems: Foolishness? No, it's not; If I were; Poem of the one world; And Bob Dylan too; Hurricane; The mockingbird; An old story; and The man who has many answers.
Foolishness? No, it's not
Some...more
For me, reading Mary Oliver is like meeting a rarely seen, but much-loved and admired friend; a conversation and a glimpse into their life feels like a gift, but leaves a surprisingly aching sense of loss. Her writing has consistently been self-reflective observances of and within nature, unexpectedly exposing our own poverty of a life without. In her world, she approaches life with a soft, and open inquisitiveness to the (mostly) silent earthly elders; the aging black oak, the sea (that speaks...more
A lovely little collection of poetry centred around the power, peace and beauty of nature. Simple and peaceful observations, often with a little twist at the end, the poet's self-reflection. One of my favourites was "The Mockingbird," and I hope it is okay to quote it here:
...more
The Mockingbird
All summer
the mockingbird
In his pearl-gray coat
and his white-windowed wings
flies
from the hedge to the top of the pine
and begins to sing, but it's neither
lilting nor lovely,
for he is the their of other sounds -
wh
It is an event in my life, when a new Mary Oliver book is published. In the past so many years I have celebratd the arrivals of Evidence, Thirst, Swan, and Red Bird. I have purchased at least five copies of her New and Selected Poems becasue I can’t help but give them away when I meet someone who has never heard of her before. And each time I receive a new title it is my constant companion for weeks upon weeks. If you find it strange that a book of poems can be a companion, then you have not met...more
Someone let me read her copy of this book over a weekend, and I was grateful for that. I thought about photocopying a few of the poems I loved instantly, but then went ahead and bought a copy. Hardcover. I almost never do that, but I'm trying to be better about supporting poets and books, and I know I'll return to this one again and again.
Mary Oliver's work feels so effortless and so hard won. It's a product of a life of writing and of living in contemplation of living things and life itself. T...more
Mary Oliver's work feels so effortless and so hard won. It's a product of a life of writing and of living in contemplation of living things and life itself. T...more
Mary Oliver's collection of poems, A Thousand Mornings, published this fall, is a poignant meditation on nature and the self. It reminded me of the nature writings of Annie Dillard, the essays of Thoreau and Emerson, and the poems of Whitman and the Transcendentalists. Oliver could be an adopted poet of that movement.
The poems are almost naked, sometimes abrupt, but if nature could speak, this is what she could say. Oliver is certainly awed by her surroundings, the sea, animals and the spiritual...more
The poems are almost naked, sometimes abrupt, but if nature could speak, this is what she could say. Oliver is certainly awed by her surroundings, the sea, animals and the spiritual...more
2 likes · like · see review
A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver is meditative observance, but also a collection of poems full of praise not only of the natural order but of humanity’s place in that order. In “And Bob Dylan Too,” she talks of how the shepherds sing as the sheep praise the grass by eating it and how the bees’ hum signals the opening of spring blossoms. And in many ways, nature comes to life, becomes anthropomorphized in conversation with a narrator, allowing for the unspoken rules to be broken and/or expanded...more
I am enjoying just opening this book to whatever poem I come across. "Hurricane" was the one I read today and, subsequently, forced my oldest son to read. He did without revulsion and with, actually, a bit of curiosity. Oliver records and inspires the miraculous!
Not much here for me
As the reviews of this book in journals and on the internet indicate, the author is one of the most popular contemporary American poets. She is also one of the most distinguished, with many awards including a Pulitzer Prize. But to be honest, I just don't see much in this book to hold my interest. Occasionally there are somewhat vivid descriptions of the natural world, as in Tides, and there's the occasional striking phrase -- for instance, climbing into the "green cottage" o...more
As the reviews of this book in journals and on the internet indicate, the author is one of the most popular contemporary American poets. She is also one of the most distinguished, with many awards including a Pulitzer Prize. But to be honest, I just don't see much in this book to hold my interest. Occasionally there are somewhat vivid descriptions of the natural world, as in Tides, and there's the occasional striking phrase -- for instance, climbing into the "green cottage" o...more
I fell in love with Mary Oliver's fine, deep nature poems when I was in college. I can recite some of them ("August," "Singapore") from memory. As time passed, I began to drift away from her books, which are always well-written and life-affirming, but also always written alike. It's not necessarily a bad thing to find a voice and style and stick to it. I am pleased with Oliver's popularity among readers who are not necessarily poetry aficionados. After all, she is a Pulitzer Prize winner. Anyway...more
Preferred poems of the second half, when they move away from the aphoristic and toward the lyrical. Favorites include " Hurricane," "Hum Hum," "I Happened to Be Standing," and "Lines Written in the Days of Growing Darkness." The language of "Tides" is wonderful - "slick and rutted and worm-riddled, the gulls/ walk there among old whale ones, the white/ spines of fish blink from the strands stew/..." That poem is not really like most of the others in this collection, however. An enjoyable read, t...more
Jan 08, 2013
Cathie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Cathie by:
Goodreads Choice Awards Book of the Month
This book is a lovely contemplative read. I can picture Mary Oliver, all in her 71 years of glory, climbing the tree to count the leaves she tells us of in the poem "Foolishness? No. It's Not.".
This book of poetry is a wonderful glimpse into the heart and thoughts of it's poetess. I will be picking up this book often, whenever I need a refreshing, quiet glimpse into the awe of life, thoughts on living or not thinking about living, or if I want to visit with the Fox again or remember Percy, Olive...more
This book of poetry is a wonderful glimpse into the heart and thoughts of it's poetess. I will be picking up this book often, whenever I need a refreshing, quiet glimpse into the awe of life, thoughts on living or not thinking about living, or if I want to visit with the Fox again or remember Percy, Olive...more
Have I lived enough?
Have I loved enough?
Have I conquered loneliness with grace?
It begins with the poem called the Gardener and ends with a poem that lives within you.
A poem that must be narrated in our actions, and a life that must be lived.
Poetry books tend to live on in our hearts, although we often forget their words.
Poetry is depth, and so, we live to achieve our Poetry.
Simple book. A book to stir the appetite to begin quite unsurely a Summer Reading Challenge.
Although, some of the poems wer...more
Have I loved enough?
Have I conquered loneliness with grace?
It begins with the poem called the Gardener and ends with a poem that lives within you.
A poem that must be narrated in our actions, and a life that must be lived.
Poetry books tend to live on in our hearts, although we often forget their words.
Poetry is depth, and so, we live to achieve our Poetry.
Simple book. A book to stir the appetite to begin quite unsurely a Summer Reading Challenge.
Although, some of the poems wer...more
Poetry hasn't been my thing until late last year, when I started reading poems on tumblr that broke me and tore down the walls and healed me all at the same time. That's when I started to appreciate poetry and started to read them and write them until I was immersed with words and rhythm.
Mary Oliver's A Thousand Mornings was lighthearted and runs the fine line between relevance and personality. I can sense Oliver's life and style but I found myself relating to some of the lines. My favorites ar...more
Mary Oliver's A Thousand Mornings was lighthearted and runs the fine line between relevance and personality. I can sense Oliver's life and style but I found myself relating to some of the lines. My favorites ar...more
Fortunately for me, I was able to slip away again into the mystical, sensitive world of Mary Oliver. While this anthology was not my very favorite of her works, I still savored it because of such poems as:
Three Things to Remember
As long as you are dancing, you can
break the rules.
Sometimes breaking the rules is just
extending the rules.
Sometimes there are no rules.
(What a great prompt for an English class.)
For me, Mary Oliver is thought provoking, and I return to her words and insights aft...more
Three Things to Remember
As long as you are dancing, you can
break the rules.
Sometimes breaking the rules is just
extending the rules.
Sometimes there are no rules.
(What a great prompt for an English class.)
For me, Mary Oliver is thought provoking, and I return to her words and insights aft...more
Mary Oliver is my favorite poet. This collection is looser, funnier, a little less precise than her earlier work. I enjoy the poems less, but love her more for writing them. For a lifetime she has been the most watchful pair of eyes we have, and now if she wants to write about falling out of trees and dancing to break the rules, so be it. Her love of the water, her memories, her love and yearning for her dog Percy; all feature prominently here. Also snakes, thrushes, wrens, prayers, a woman in t...more
Soul-stirring
The book's description uses the words "transformative power of attention." Paying attention is something I've been working at, being still enough to notice. This is a thoughtful collection of simple prose that often has a tiny, thought-provoking line at the end of a poem that delivers a compelling epiphany. Mary Oliver is considered to be America's greatest poet, but the poems are so simple that this "title" seems deceiving. For those who aren't sure they like poetry, Mary Oliver is pleasing to...more
I think this collection of poems reminds me of my style so i am actually happy to see the high reviews. I love some of them, but others did not speak to me. i feel the dust jacket and appreciate how the print is set only on the front of the page, only the back side if two sides long, and the still gray cover art make it a treasure. Not an e-book if you want to treasure the whole essence. Loved- "the man who has many answers," but I am working on humility this 2013. Also " i happened to be standi...more
Beautiful - I deliciously soaked up every word, over and over, on recent flights to and from Utah for hiking. Many many treasures here, but for me the best - and hardest - is 'The Gardener'. Really, I have to answer all the hardest questions of Life at one time? Working on that....
THE GARDENER
Have I lived enough?
Have I loved enough?
Have I considered Right Action enough, have I come to any conclusion?
Have I experienced happiness with sufficient gratitude?
Have I endured loneliness with grace?
........more
THE GARDENER
Have I lived enough?
Have I loved enough?
Have I considered Right Action enough, have I come to any conclusion?
Have I experienced happiness with sufficient gratitude?
Have I endured loneliness with grace?
........more
5 likes · like · see review
Thanks to Mary Oliver, I’ve discovered that there’s more to poetry than what so many English lit teachers did to it by making me study it. I used to think that unless I could stomach rhyme schemes, search for metaphors, and put up with not understanding most of what I was reading, poetry was beyond me. Then I picked up a copy of Oliver’s Pulitzer prize winning “American Primitive” and since then I’ve added every one of her books to my bookshelf. Although she’s been called “our most precious chro...more
Gorgeous. I definitely need to read some more of Mary Oliver and I need to buy this book.
Some of my favorite bits:
"Yes, I agree. You fuss over life with your clever words, mulling and chewing n it's meaning, while we just live it." (p. 14)
---
POEM OF THE WORLD
"This morning
the beautiful white heron
was floating above the water
and then in to the sky of this
the one world
we all belong to
where everything
sooner or later
is a part of everything else.
which thought made me feel
for a little while
quite bea...more
Some of my favorite bits:
"Yes, I agree. You fuss over life with your clever words, mulling and chewing n it's meaning, while we just live it." (p. 14)
---
POEM OF THE WORLD
"This morning
the beautiful white heron
was floating above the water
and then in to the sky of this
the one world
we all belong to
where everything
sooner or later
is a part of everything else.
which thought made me feel
for a little while
quite bea...more
(A brief review I wrote for The Banner magazine)
For almost 50 years, American poet Mary Oliver has been celebrated for her graceful inquisitions into the rhythms of the natural world. Her latest collection, A Thousand Mornings, continues in this same tradition, inviting readers to explore the creatures and shorelines of her beloved home, Provincetown, Mass.
Longtime fans of Oliver’s work will recognize the same patient, lyrical pilgrim who is grateful to be alive, ready to be astonished, and “ful...more
For almost 50 years, American poet Mary Oliver has been celebrated for her graceful inquisitions into the rhythms of the natural world. Her latest collection, A Thousand Mornings, continues in this same tradition, inviting readers to explore the creatures and shorelines of her beloved home, Provincetown, Mass.
Longtime fans of Oliver’s work will recognize the same patient, lyrical pilgrim who is grateful to be alive, ready to be astonished, and “ful...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21st Century Lite...: * May 2013 - A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver | 64 | 33 | May 22, 2013 02:54am | |
| Goodreads Choice ...: January 2013 - A Thousand Mornings Discussion | 12 | 133 | Jan 31, 2013 07:54pm | |
| Mary Oliver Poetry: A Thousand Mornings | 1 | 11 | Oct 11, 2012 03:59pm | |
| If John Green says it's good, it's going on my to-read list! | 1 | 18 | Jun 20, 2012 08:54am |
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
“Mary Oliver. In a region that has produced most of the nation's poet laureates, it is risky to single out one fragile 71-year-old bard of Provincetown. But Mary Oliver, who won the Pulitzer Prize in poetry in 1983, is my choice for her joyous, accessible, intimate observati...more
More about Mary Oliver...
“Mary Oliver. In a region that has produced most of the nation's poet laureates, it is risky to single out one fragile 71-year-old bard of Provincetown. But Mary Oliver, who won the Pulitzer Prize in poetry in 1983, is my choice for her joyous, accessible, intimate observati...more
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“I GO DOWN TO THE SHORE
I go down to the shore in the morning
and depending on the hour the waves
are rolling in or moving out,
and I say, oh, I am miserable,
what shall—
what should I do? And the sea says
in its lovely voice:
Excuse me, I have work to do.”
—
23 people liked it
I go down to the shore in the morning
and depending on the hour the waves
are rolling in or moving out,
and I say, oh, I am miserable,
what shall—
what should I do? And the sea says
in its lovely voice:
Excuse me, I have work to do.”
“All night my heart makes its way
however it can over the rough ground
of uncertainties, but only until night
meets and then is overwhelmed by
morning, the light deepening, the
wind easing and just waiting, as I
too wait (and when have I ever been
disappointed?) for redbird to sing”
—
16 people liked it
More quotes…
however it can over the rough ground
of uncertainties, but only until night
meets and then is overwhelmed by
morning, the light deepening, the
wind easing and just waiting, as I
too wait (and when have I ever been
disappointed?) for redbird to sing”
Jan 29, 2013 08:56pm