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77th out of 977 books
—
1,019 voters
The Selected Poems
The Selected Poems of Federico García Lorca has introduced generations of American readers to mesmerizing poetry since 1955. Lorca (1898-1937) is admired all over the world for the lyricism, immediacy and clarity of his poetry, as well as for his ability to encompass techniques of the symbolist movement with deeper psychological shadings. But Lorca's poems are, most of all...more
Paperback, 186 pages
Published
May 17th 2005
by New Directions
(first published December 3rd 1915)
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فدريكو گارسيا لوركا، درخشانترين و بزرگترين شاعر اسپانيا در سال 1899 در فونته واكهروس در نزديكي شهر گرانادا ديده به جهان گشود. دربارهي او بسيار نوشتهاند و خواهند نوشت
ايرانيان نيز اشعار او را از طريق بازسراييهايي كه مرحوم شاملو انجام داد ميشناسند. تنها نكتهاي كه اين ميان ميماند و حتا خود شاملو صلاح ندانست كه بيان كند و در جاي ديگري از منابع فارسي نيز نخواندم اين بود كه، لوركا يك همجنس باز بود و بزرگترين و مشهورترين شعري كه مرثيهوار است را براي معشوق خود (ايگناسيو سانچز مخياس) گاوباز، س...more
ايرانيان نيز اشعار او را از طريق بازسراييهايي كه مرحوم شاملو انجام داد ميشناسند. تنها نكتهاي كه اين ميان ميماند و حتا خود شاملو صلاح ندانست كه بيان كند و در جاي ديگري از منابع فارسي نيز نخواندم اين بود كه، لوركا يك همجنس باز بود و بزرگترين و مشهورترين شعري كه مرثيهوار است را براي معشوق خود (ايگناسيو سانچز مخياس) گاوباز، س...more
Jan 22, 2013
Jon Corelis
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
five-star-poetry-books
The Lorca to get
***** A Five Star Poetry Book: Recommended for All Readers
Federico Garcia Lorca hardly needs a review, as he's widely and justly recognized as one of the great modern poets. So I won't describe his poetry here, except to say that his combination of traditionalism and surrealism creates vivid poems which can be appreciated emotionally on first reading, even if it takes re-reading to understand them intellectually. As such, everyone should have a book of his poetry, and this biling...more
***** A Five Star Poetry Book: Recommended for All Readers
Federico Garcia Lorca hardly needs a review, as he's widely and justly recognized as one of the great modern poets. So I won't describe his poetry here, except to say that his combination of traditionalism and surrealism creates vivid poems which can be appreciated emotionally on first reading, even if it takes re-reading to understand them intellectually. As such, everyone should have a book of his poetry, and this biling...more
In the meadow
my heart danced
(a cypress shadow
on the wind)
and a tree unplaited
the dew breeze.
Breeze,
silver to the touch!
I said: do you remember?
(The star
the rose
do not concern me.)
Remember?
Lost language!
Language
without horizons!
Remember?
In the meadow
my heart danced
(a cypress shadow
on the wind).
my heart danced
(a cypress shadow
on the wind)
and a tree unplaited
the dew breeze.
Breeze,
silver to the touch!
I said: do you remember?
(The star
the rose
do not concern me.)
Remember?
Lost language!
Language
without horizons!
Remember?
In the meadow
my heart danced
(a cypress shadow
on the wind).
It's striking find how inconsistent these poems are when read in English, even when translated by some of the best minds in business, such as US Poet Laureate W.S Merwin. Laden with cliches about death, horses, and the moon, the lines are unbalanced and the sonic impression turbid. But by just a brief glance at the Spanish, it's obvious most of the beauty is sapped in translation. Lorca's poetry stems from a folk tradition in which the lyrics are sung aloud and in public, and while the enormity...more
Need to revisit this awesome dual-language edition from New Directions after I've taught myself more Spanish. I liked this, my first experience with Lorca, but much like Aleksandr Blok, the Russian Symbolist, there's a certain something that is lost in the translation for these Symbolist images. And that's not to say that it's not still worth reading, or that anything is truly "lost," but there is an inherent rhythm and/or rhyme in a lot of these poems that leave me wanting more, which is cool....more
Lorca's ability to let lyricism and playfulness carry the poem is remarkable.
In the selections from Poeta en Nueva York, this feeling was lost due to the discomfort of his time there. However, Lament For Ignacio Sanchez Mejias might be my favorite because the playfulness is replaced with pure emotion, that in its own right is playful in sadness and grief.
Poems I liked a lot: Ballad of the Water of the Sea, Variations, Snail, Lament For Ignacio Sanchez Mejias, Garela of the Terrible Presence
Merw...more
In the selections from Poeta en Nueva York, this feeling was lost due to the discomfort of his time there. However, Lament For Ignacio Sanchez Mejias might be my favorite because the playfulness is replaced with pure emotion, that in its own right is playful in sadness and grief.
Poems I liked a lot: Ballad of the Water of the Sea, Variations, Snail, Lament For Ignacio Sanchez Mejias, Garela of the Terrible Presence
Merw...more
The Selected Poems of Federico Garcia Lorca, edited by Francisco Garcia Lorca and Donald M. Allen, enchants its readers with dreamy, romantic faery-tale visions: “My heart of silk / is filled with lights, / with lost bells , / with lilies and bees.”; bold, sad songs: “Why was I born among mirrors? / The day walks in circles around me, / and the night copies me / in all its stars.”; and solemn yet graphic laments for the dead in “Llanto por Ignacio Sanchez Mejias.” Overall, this book brings the r...more
oh lorca..
"In Vienna there are ten little girls,
a shoulder for death to cry on,
and a forest of dried pigeons.
There is a fragment of tomorrow
in the museum of winter frost.
There is a thousand-windowed dance hall.
Ay, ay, ay, ay!
Take this close-mouthed waltz.
Little waltz, little waltz, little waltz,
of itself, of death, and of brandy
that dips its tail in the sea.
I love you, I love you, I love you,
with the armchair and the book of death,
down the melancholy hallway,
in the iris's darkened garret,
in our...more
"In Vienna there are ten little girls,
a shoulder for death to cry on,
and a forest of dried pigeons.
There is a fragment of tomorrow
in the museum of winter frost.
There is a thousand-windowed dance hall.
Ay, ay, ay, ay!
Take this close-mouthed waltz.
Little waltz, little waltz, little waltz,
of itself, of death, and of brandy
that dips its tail in the sea.
I love you, I love you, I love you,
with the armchair and the book of death,
down the melancholy hallway,
in the iris's darkened garret,
in our...more
My experience with this collection of Lorca’s work is similar to my reading of Agha Shahid Ali’s A Country Without a Post Office. In both instances, I can see the immense talents of the poets, but the work seems preoccupied. Throughout his poems, Lorca explores themes surrounding man’s relation to nature, especially through the topics of desire and aging. His language is innovative and inspiring, with surprising phrases like “when the worms are eating you/at their leisure” (7) in abundance. Lor...more
Pushes beyond "poetry of the imagination" towards "inspired poetry", hecho poetico, exploring the presence of words to mean exactly what they 'are', nothing else: "Beneath the Moses of the incense,/ drowsing./ Bull eyes observe you./ Your rosary raining./ In that dress of silk so dense,/ never stir, Virginia./ Give the black melons of your breasts/ to the murmur of the mass." (The Spinster at Mass)
What a great way to get English-speakers acquainted with Spanish poetry. The translations were brilliant, and the compilation of his most popular poems meant getting the best out of all his books, in only one.
Perfect for anyone willing to dip their toes in the vast pool of foreign poetry.
Perfect for anyone willing to dip their toes in the vast pool of foreign poetry.
Lovely, hallucinogenic spree reading at Agua and Viento -- another free community read under the spell of a decent Belle and Sebastianesque jazz cover band, a Mexican coke and some vegan cookies. Moonlight incantations and tummy aches. Olive trees and blood. Bull riders and love.
Dec 06, 2007
Alberto
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
werewolves and seers
Lorca's poetry should be read aloud, in Spanish, perhaps in a smoky Tablao with full flamenco accompaniment. This edition is good in that the English translation appears opposite the original. And they're pretty good at conveying the mystery and passion of Lorca's beloved Andalucia. The selection is a decent display of Lorca's experiments in the region's poetic traditions. But ultimately, it's almost like watching black and white TV after you've experienced high definition color.
Even if you don'...more
Even if you don'...more
Impressionism is really not my favorite kind of poetry or art in general. However still some astoundingly beautiful passages here, and being able to read the Spanish side-by-side with the English translation was very worthwhile.
So this was good, but it wasn't great. First of all, it is a translation from Spanish. Translations of poetry are hard to pull of because poetic devices don't translate well. Some do, but some don't. I liked it because it contains the earthy, elemental images that other Spanish/Latin-American writing possesses. It is definitely kin to the magic realism prose of Central and South America. But the symbolism and allusions in Lorca's poetry are difficult to understand and explicate. Most of the innu...more
It would have been five stars had the translations been perfect. I can read Spanish, and some of the translations were too distant from their Spanish sources. Still, a good collection here and a worth introduction by W.S. Merwin.
I lost my copy a few years ago and I need a new one! I bought another collection with different translations and it definitely wasn't the same.
Лорка и Неруда на сегодняшний момент - любимейшие мои нерусскоязычные поэты.
I love Lorca. Some really beautiful stuff. (I read in Spanish, relying on English translation/English dictionary when necessary.)
From the early poems through to the last the beauty of language and nature creates an iridescent glow. His poetry is at once surrealistic and emotional. With mesmerizing complexity yet sometimes a simpllicity that belies the depths of meaning contained in the poem Lorca reaches directly to the center of the reader's heart. Lorca's poetry is highly lyrical and has been acclaimed many times in modern day song. Leonard Cohen in particular was influenced by Lorca's poetry. Whether it is his Mediterr...more
What to say of Lorca? We know unique. In rythm and in theme. We know pure, in travel and in verb. We know tragic in life and in vain. Maybe not. Though we go, pass this pages and they dont come completly fully real. Someone's is talking about the flavor of olives but you dont get to taste it. I know why. You should go learn spanish. It's not a problem of translation within all, it's the way he structure language in his native own. A difficult task for the best translator, to bring Lorca to his n...more
(Really should read in the Spanish, of course, but those lessons were very, very long ago.)
The Spanish is a bit tough but good translation I presume and a good read.
Aug 18, 2012
Melinda
marked it as to-read
I used to own this book, and the lent it to a friend. The poems are incredible!
Apr 05, 2012
Douglas
added it
Great stuff. I have several copies and have always praised Lorca.
Spain's greatest poet. A great personal influence and inspiration.
Mi libro favorito de poemas :) Mejoe leerlo en espanol
plus one star for ignacio sanchez mejias.
Aug 16, 2012
Ariel
marked it as to-read
I love Lorca and want to own this book.
I want to know if he is as great as everyone says, or if being killed by Franco's Fascists created an aura of greatness. Seems like anyone who dies in their prime, or before they've "reached their potential" becomes famous. The Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin effect.
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Born in Fuente Vaqueros, Granada, Spain, June 5,1898; died near Granada, August 19,1936, García Lorca is Spain's most deeply appreciated and highly revered poet and dramatist. His murder by the Nationalists at the start of the Spanish civil war brought sudden international fame, accompanied by an excess of political rhetoric which led a later generation to question his merits; after the inevitable...more
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“Ditty of First Desire
In the green morning
I wanted to be a heart.
A heart.
And in the ripe evening
I wanted to be a nightingale.
A nightingale.
(Soul,
turn orange-colored.
Soul,
turn the color of love.)
In the vivid morning
I wanted to be myself.
A heart.
And at the evening's end
I wanted to be my voice.
A nightingale.
Soul,
turn orange-colored.
Soul,
turn the color of love.”
—
27 people liked it
In the green morning
I wanted to be a heart.
A heart.
And in the ripe evening
I wanted to be a nightingale.
A nightingale.
(Soul,
turn orange-colored.
Soul,
turn the color of love.)
In the vivid morning
I wanted to be myself.
A heart.
And at the evening's end
I wanted to be my voice.
A nightingale.
Soul,
turn orange-colored.
Soul,
turn the color of love.”
“The night below. We two. Crystal of pain.
You wept over great distances.
My ache was a clutch of agonies
over your sickly heart of sand.”
—
17 people liked it
More quotes…
You wept over great distances.
My ache was a clutch of agonies
over your sickly heart of sand.”
Jul 30, 2009 08:29pm