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39th out of 49 books
—
13 voters
Even in Quiet Places
This book brings together four privately printed chapbooks and offers them to the general public in one volume. All the poems are in William Stafford's familiar, reflective voice, and some had been freshly typed at the time of Stafford's death in August of 1993. The book is hospitable to a full range of experiences, moods, stunts with language, tones, expressive landmarks,...more
Paperback, 118 pages
Published
January 1st 2010
by Confluence Press
(first published June 1996)
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Quietly and incessantly, these poems compel the reader to listen to "the voice [that] descends finer than dust or moonlight" (in "A Note Slid under the Door"). I share this sense of the "finer" world beyond our senses, and appreciate how palpable Stafford makes it seem as he alludes to "the little sound" (in “Being a Person”) or the "...something / beyond music" (in "It's Like This"). He anthropomorphizes such stolid structures of nature as rivers, mountains, and trees so deftly the reader is ha...more
I love Stafford's matter-of-fact style, his drawing upon the natural world, and his profound everyday wisdom.
One of my favorites:
Stray Moments
We used to ask --- remember? We said,
"...our daily bread." And it came.
Now we want more, and security too:
"You can't be too sure." And,
"Why should we trust? ---- Who says?"
And Old-Who doesn't speak any more.
They used to have Thunder talk, or
The Rivers, or Leaves, or Birds. It's all
"Cheep, cheep" now. It's a long time
since a cloud said anything helpful.
But...more
One of my favorites:
Stray Moments
We used to ask --- remember? We said,
"...our daily bread." And it came.
Now we want more, and security too:
"You can't be too sure." And,
"Why should we trust? ---- Who says?"
And Old-Who doesn't speak any more.
They used to have Thunder talk, or
The Rivers, or Leaves, or Birds. It's all
"Cheep, cheep" now. It's a long time
since a cloud said anything helpful.
But...more
Dec 13, 2012
Cindi
added it
For me, this collection of poems by William Stafford is a retreat into silence and beauty - to those quiet places filled with light, sometimes white, sometimes rainbow-hued, of the reverence of nature, of forgotten places and ways of life.
The poems in the last section of the book are part of a collection called The Methow River Poems, written for the the U.S. Forest Service as meditative texts to be displayed along a wilderness road. Through this last collection, written right before his death,...more
The poems in the last section of the book are part of a collection called The Methow River Poems, written for the the U.S. Forest Service as meditative texts to be displayed along a wilderness road. Through this last collection, written right before his death,...more
I am an avid William Stafford fan, so I did enjoy this book.
It also has one of my very favorite of his poems in it. This "late" book is actually a posthumous collection of earlier chapbooks and a poetry series for outdoor signs commissioned by the Park Service. As a collection, I do not think it is one of Stafford's strongest books. I think some of his earlier books are much stronger. However, Stafford was a tremendously prolific and gifted poet whose archives are now being overseen by his son,...more
It also has one of my very favorite of his poems in it. This "late" book is actually a posthumous collection of earlier chapbooks and a poetry series for outdoor signs commissioned by the Park Service. As a collection, I do not think it is one of Stafford's strongest books. I think some of his earlier books are much stronger. However, Stafford was a tremendously prolific and gifted poet whose archives are now being overseen by his son,...more
Written toward the end of his life and published a few years after his death, the collection provides somber yet fascinating outlooks on the journeys one take in life. Stafford is an amazing writer who can take the often forgotten and bring them to the surface to remind us of the sublime.
Having read and enjoyed Stafford's work in various anthologies and compilations, I found this volume disappointing. It contains some lovely gems, but the collection itself has a dreary, lugubrious and, at times, morbid flavor--written by a poet who perhaps was obsessing a bit too much over his twilight years.
It's rare to find a book of poetry that is so consistently enjoyable. From start to finish I found myself jotting down lines, and even whole poems. It's been a while since I've found myself so thoroughly immersed in someone's poetry.
This is a collection of four chapbooks from the last years of Stafford's life. Many of these poems also appear in "The Way It Is," but not all of them. It is lovely to read these poems together in chapbook format.
A great collection. Many of Stafford's poems read like the voiceovers of beautiful dreams you wake up from feeling calm and blessed, like you'd spent all night drinking from the well of your deepest self.
Unquestionably, one of America's finest poetic craftsman. He is a careful and percise and, above all, a clear thinker.
This book brings together four privately printed chapbooks and offers them to the general public in one volume. All the poems are in William Stafford's familiar, reflective voice, and some had been freshly typed at the time of Stafford's death in August of 1993. The book is hospitable to a full range of experiences, moods, stunts with language, tones, expressive landmarks, and intimacies with the universe. Long considered a major voice in twentieth century American poetry, William Stafford is al...more
not so much. some lovely poems, though.
The Methow River Poems really struck me the most. Stafford's presentation is matter of fact, but the poems in this section were wonderfully large, spacious both in content and concept.
This is one of Stafford's best volumes of poetry. I loaned it to someone for a day, and that person had it stolen from them in a doctor's office. I hope the person who stole it enjoys it as much as I do. I have since replaced my copy, because it is so good.
I first read this poet in the 1990s--But his poetry is like sunshine after a storm. There is a peace in his words, and a comfort to read his work.
May 16, 2013
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William Edgar Stafford was an American poet and pacifist, and the father of poet and essayist Kim Stafford. He and his writings are sometimes identified with the Pacific Northwest.
More about William Edgar Stafford...
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