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249th out of 2,448 books
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5,806 voters
Selected Poems
The one hundred and fifty-six poems here, arranged in twelve sections and introduced by E. E. Cummings's biographer, include his most popular poems, spanning his earliest creations, his vivacious linguistic acrobatics, up to his last valedictory sonnets. Also featured are thirteen drawings, oils, and watercolors by Cummings, most of them never before published.
The selectio...more
The selectio...more
Paperback, 208 pages
Published
August 17th 2007
by Liveright
(first published 1960)
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173rd out of 282 books
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107 voters
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"since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;"
It's a stroke of luck that this is the first E.E. Cummings book I'd get my hands on, seeing as it contains small introductions by Richard S. Kennedy. Without those introductions I would have been lost.
Honestly.
As much as I have relished and soaked myself in Cummings' poetry, I could as easily have drowned and never been found. I am thankful I didn't.
There are some of his poems I simply don't get,...more
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;"
It's a stroke of luck that this is the first E.E. Cummings book I'd get my hands on, seeing as it contains small introductions by Richard S. Kennedy. Without those introductions I would have been lost.
Honestly.
As much as I have relished and soaked myself in Cummings' poetry, I could as easily have drowned and never been found. I am thankful I didn't.
There are some of his poems I simply don't get,...more
Selected Poems
E.E.Cummings
With introduction and commentary by Richard S. Kennedy
E.E.Cummings died at the so young age of 68 leaving much yet to say. His short stories of scattered words and irregular lines are to me sometimes a word puzzle and sometimes a bright and clear picture.
Selected Poems by E.E.Cummings includes a brief introduction and a commentary to start each of the twelve sections. Along with the 156 poems taken from the course of his writing, there are thirteen of his drawings, oil...more
E.E.Cummings
With introduction and commentary by Richard S. Kennedy
E.E.Cummings died at the so young age of 68 leaving much yet to say. His short stories of scattered words and irregular lines are to me sometimes a word puzzle and sometimes a bright and clear picture.
Selected Poems by E.E.Cummings includes a brief introduction and a commentary to start each of the twelve sections. Along with the 156 poems taken from the course of his writing, there are thirteen of his drawings, oil...more
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I've loved the poem 'carry your heart' for years and known I love Cummings because of that. I've been on a bit of a poetry binge so decided to get this book and see if I liked more of his work.
I really do enjoy it.
The way he used language and syntax, shaping it to his own meaning and expression is beautiful.
But it's not easy. There are little intros to the sections which help explain a lot about some of the poems thank god. I like to understand. To work out the layers and meanings and these re...more
I really do enjoy it.
The way he used language and syntax, shaping it to his own meaning and expression is beautiful.
But it's not easy. There are little intros to the sections which help explain a lot about some of the poems thank god. I like to understand. To work out the layers and meanings and these re...more
"I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing
than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance"
I have always been a little intimidated by E. E. Cummings' poetry. Just one look at one of his futuristic experiments with syntax and punctuation was more than enough to convince me that he was too difficult for me to read.
But as it turned out it was silly of me to give up on him. I just needed the right guidance to his authorship which this edition happily provided me with. Though I can't claim to underst...more
than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance"
I have always been a little intimidated by E. E. Cummings' poetry. Just one look at one of his futuristic experiments with syntax and punctuation was more than enough to convince me that he was too difficult for me to read.
But as it turned out it was silly of me to give up on him. I just needed the right guidance to his authorship which this edition happily provided me with. Though I can't claim to underst...more
I cannot read 'anyone lived in a pretty how town' aloud without crying. I think it's one of the most perfect poems ever written. Everything he wrote in the height of his career in the 30's and 40's is pretty much terrific. It's a shame that he lost it later on and grew cynical and complacent, but I guess he earned it. These are some of my favorite poems to teach, if for nothing other than confounding the students with the diction.
I knew there was a reason I had been looking for this guy for such a long time. :3 From his love poems to formal experiments to his satirical poems, I loved it. And because I just can't get enough, I'd like to share my personal favorite. Funny enough, it's a sonnet - though hardly a traditional one.
being to timelessness as it's to time,
love did no more begin than love will end;
where nothing is to breathe to stroll to swim
love is the air the ocean and the land
(do lovers suffer?all divinities
proud...more
being to timelessness as it's to time,
love did no more begin than love will end;
where nothing is to breathe to stroll to swim
love is the air the ocean and the land
(do lovers suffer?all divinities
proud...more
The poems are divided into sections and before each section, there's a summary of E.E. Cummings life at the point when those poems were written. It's organized and invites you into his life with more depth and understanding than you would have if you were reading them separately.
I've come across quite a few poems that have made my heart ache with their beauty. Sticky notes have become mine and this book's friend.
'The Cubist Break-Up' section was enjoyable until the eighth poem, and now my brain...more
I've come across quite a few poems that have made my heart ache with their beauty. Sticky notes have become mine and this book's friend.
'The Cubist Break-Up' section was enjoyable until the eighth poem, and now my brain...more
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I got these Selected Poems in hopes this would be an introduction to the best of e. e. cummings, and perhaps therefore more accessible to me -- his poetry is something that, for the most part, I just don't 'get'. That's not to say it isn't very good if you like it/understand it better than I do, it's just not, ultimately, to my taste. This collection of poems is pretty good, however: divided into various themed sections, with a brief introduction/explanation of each one.
Have to come to the concl...more
Have to come to the concl...more
Well, he gave us the perfect line: cut, edgy, bold; like a shining diamond. He was more modern than the modern poets today. Yes, that's the truth. And, of course he was wonderful painter, artist. What else do we need? In times when almost everyone wrote like they wrote 200 years ago he showed us that there is another way to put the lines, another way to go at the subject; you can just cut it in half and to hell with it. One of the best avant-gard poets and he was guarding his style with his mass...more
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I don't know much about poetry (that sounds like a song), so I might be way off base here, but I really can't decide if e.e. cummings was a revolutionary poet. Some of his poetry is thought-provoking or whimsical or structurally unique and completely great; other poems seem juvenile or overly fixated on sexuality. I found it hard to tell which poems were going to be good because poetry is very experience-oriented. In fact I'd say that a poem's 'goodness' is often a (monotonic increasing) functio...more
Another collection I wish I could give 5 stars to. Cummings was truly a wordsmith and I was in awe by several of his beautiful poems. However, at times I felt as though I was reading Finnegan’s Wake; some of the poems were just a bit too crazy and nonsensical.
And as for favourites, here’s mine:
“some ask praise of their fellows
but i being otherwise
made composure curves
and yellows, angles or silences
to a less erring end)
myself is sculptor of
your body’s idiom:
the musician of your wrists;
the poet wh...more
And as for favourites, here’s mine:
“some ask praise of their fellows
but i being otherwise
made composure curves
and yellows, angles or silences
to a less erring end)
myself is sculptor of
your body’s idiom:
the musician of your wrists;
the poet wh...more
6 likes · like · see review
While "anyone lived in a pretty how town" will always be one of my favorite poems, this was my first reading of anything else by EE Cummings. I found some of the poems boring, but the majority were enjoyable. I enjoyed the eroticism & wry humor thrown in with a wink in many poems, and the romantic feeling in others was beautiful. I expected to hate the errant use of grammatical convention, but I found it quite fun mostly. Some of the poems gained new meaning due to the way you were forced to...more
I know that everyone is supposed to love Cummings and that his poetry is supposed to be the best blah blah blah. Sorry, but no.
I thin he's pompous and unspecial and really conceited. And it shows plainly in his writing. He's good for one liners every once in a great while and that's it. His full length poems rarely have meaning. And even less have fluency. I'm not a fan.
The only poem I liked in this was "I am a Beggar Always" and even that I only like the first bit.
I thin he's pompous and unspecial and really conceited. And it shows plainly in his writing. He's good for one liners every once in a great while and that's it. His full length poems rarely have meaning. And even less have fluency. I'm not a fan.
The only poem I liked in this was "I am a Beggar Always" and even that I only like the first bit.
"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"
Thus begins my favorite poem of all time. I cannot locate the original book that I have but I love the cover of this one.... I'm sure it's in this one as well... love e.e. cummings!
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"
Thus begins my favorite poem of all time. I cannot locate the original book that I have but I love the cover of this one.... I'm sure it's in this one as well... love e.e. cummings!
Based on the handful of Cummings poems I read in college ("Buffalo Bill," etc.) I thought I loved him, but this collection of 156 poems made me realize I don't. It might be a failing on my part, or maybe the editor's grouping of poems by themes inadvertently does Cummings a disservice. That handful of poems is mighty fine, though.
Best introduction to one of the most brilliant, if difficult, of the 20th century poets. This edition places Cummings' many styles into different chapters. Light on Cummings Christian writing, but at least it makes note of it. If you've never understood e.e., but have sensed something powerful there, give this a try.
A delightful little collection of Cummings poems, arranged by subject matter. The topics were opened by a corresponding piece of art and some little insight into the poet and his prose. Although the book is quite small it's still a delightful read, and worth coming back to in the future.
All-in-all, an excellent introduction to the poet.
All-in-all, an excellent introduction to the poet.
So again, I set out to read a book of poetry in the order the editor intended. Again, I think this approach added value. (Lesson learned, maybe?) I marked up my copy pretty extensively and I find that there are poems by cummings that I a) like, b) do not like, and c) can't follow/don't care about even remotely. I'd say that of this particular collection, I liked about 30%, didn't care for about 60% and found another 10% (just a handful, really) that I think could be erased off the planet without...more
This book does a great job of relaying the social activities and personal interests of e.e. cummings, but I fail to see how his poetry is innovative. The sketches and charcoal drawings included in the book seem to demonstrate much more skill and depth than his poems ever achieve.
ee cummings is absolutely one of my favorite poets. In typical cummings fashion, I loved some of the poems, but others I didn't love quite as much. I think that everyone should read "i carry your heart with me" at least once. "i carry your heart with me" is undoubtedly one of my favorite pieces of literature. I would highly recommend reading this nice little collection of cummings's work.
e. e. cummings is like Thelonious Monk. There's only one and there'll only ever be one.
The man has equal strength in his content and in his form. I can just keep his books in my bag and re-read them over and over.
I'm not like that about many poets.
The man has equal strength in his content and in his form. I can just keep his books in my bag and re-read them over and over.
I'm not like that about many poets.
A marvelous selection interspersed with Cummings' pencil drawings and brief excerpts from his biography. Poems are arranged by "type"--his protest poems, his prostitute poems, his sex poems, urban poems, love poems etc.
Amazing. You can see how he paved the way for modern poetry. Techniques I take for granted were invented by this man. I need to take a class just on him because I know I only understood half of these poems.
I'm not much for cubism in visual art, let alone in literature. Cummings wrote sometimes beautiful and sometimes startling things, but in the end his erratic use of punctuation and spacing is just too much for me.
Oh, this book reminded me how much I adore e. e. cummings!!
It contained a fine selection of his works, though I did notice a favourite or two missing. It was divided up into tasteful sections with nice bits of information and a few of his sketches - wonderful!
It contained a fine selection of his works, though I did notice a favourite or two missing. It was divided up into tasteful sections with nice bits of information and a few of his sketches - wonderful!
The paper quality of this volume is a bit cheap, but the poem selection is excellent and the biographical passages inform the reader's understand of cummings and his work.
This book was kind of confusing. I'm not one for poems but some of these poems were good. Other's were kind of a jumble of things that didn't make any sense at all.
My English teacher recommended me this. It wasn't really the kind of poetry I usually like, but some of the poems in here were really nice.
For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)
it's always ourselves we find in the sea
i never really enjoyed poetry, but e.e. cummings is wonderful.
it's always ourselves we find in the sea
i never really enjoyed poetry, but e.e. cummings is wonderful.
Whenever I need to be reminded of the conjuring power of words and the beauty of the simplest things around me, I return to this book.
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Edward Estlin Cummings, popularly known as e.e. cummings, was an American poet, painter, essayist, and playwright. His body of work encompasses more than 900 poems, several plays and essays, numerous drawings, sketches, and paintings, as well as two novels. He is remembered as a preeminent voice of 20th century poetry, as well as one of the most popular.
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“anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn't he danced his did
Women and men(both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn't they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain
children guessed(but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that noone loved him more by more
when by now and tree by leaf
she laughed his joy she cried his grief
bird by snow and stir by still
anyone's any was all to her
someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then)they
said their nevers they slept their dream
stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)
one day anyone died i guess
(and noone stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was
all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.
Women and men (both dong and ding)
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon stars rain”
—
482 people liked it
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn't he danced his did
Women and men(both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn't they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain
children guessed(but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that noone loved him more by more
when by now and tree by leaf
she laughed his joy she cried his grief
bird by snow and stir by still
anyone's any was all to her
someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then)they
said their nevers they slept their dream
stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)
one day anyone died i guess
(and noone stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was
all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.
Women and men (both dong and ding)
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon stars rain”
“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 easily will 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
or if your wish be to close me, i and
my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;
nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility: whose texture
compels me with the colour of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing
(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”
—
457 people liked it
More quotes…
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 easily will 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
or if your wish be to close me, i and
my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;
nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility: whose texture
compels me with the colour of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing
(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”
