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32nd out of 190 books
—
5 voters
Selected Poems
John F. Kennedy said of Robert Frost: "He has bequeathed his nation a body of imperishable verse from which Americans will forever gain joy and understanding." A four-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for poetry, Frost created a new poetic language that has a deep and timeless resonance.
In addition to Robert Frost's first three books, this collection includes eighteen earl...more
In addition to Robert Frost's first three books, this collection includes eighteen earl...more
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published
March 20th 2001
by Gramercy
(first published 1937)
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Ah, Robert Frost: the man who convinced me that I hated poetry.
Years ago, I was assigned to read some of his poetry for school and, let's just say, I read them as if I was taking cough-syrup. (Note: Why, yes! I hate cough-syrup. I'll never forget the fateful night where I spit a mouthful of it across the bathroom. Good times...) Anyhow, so I didn't enjoy his poems because I was reading them with the wrong attitude &c. If Carl Sandburg hadn't come along later and shown me what a wonderful th...more
Years ago, I was assigned to read some of his poetry for school and, let's just say, I read them as if I was taking cough-syrup. (Note: Why, yes! I hate cough-syrup. I'll never forget the fateful night where I spit a mouthful of it across the bathroom. Good times...) Anyhow, so I didn't enjoy his poems because I was reading them with the wrong attitude &c. If Carl Sandburg hadn't come along later and shown me what a wonderful th...more
The pasture, Home Burial, The Tuft of Flowers, Mending the wall, Birches, Reluctance, A late walk, Fragmentary Blue.
My favorite out of this bunch is probably 'Mending the wall' -"Good fences make good neighbors" these words could be used for so many analogies.
Reluctance is a piece of poetry that offers a powerful image.
Fragmentary Blue
Why make so much of fragmentary blue
In here and there a bird, or butterfly,
Or flower, or wearing-stone, or open eye,
When heaven presents in sheets the solid hue?
Si...more
My favorite out of this bunch is probably 'Mending the wall' -"Good fences make good neighbors" these words could be used for so many analogies.
Reluctance is a piece of poetry that offers a powerful image.
Fragmentary Blue
Why make so much of fragmentary blue
In here and there a bird, or butterfly,
Or flower, or wearing-stone, or open eye,
When heaven presents in sheets the solid hue?
Si...more
Drama: awesome. Form: pleasurable. Theme: Got a little fed up with all that personifying nature/alackadaying that nature can't be personified. Here's the best antidote:
It's a strange courage
you give me, ancient star:
Shine alone in the sunrise
toward which you lend no part!
I
Shine alone, shine nakedly, shine like bronze
that reflects neither my face nor any inner part
of my being, shine like fire, that mirrors nothing.
II
Lend no part to any humanity that suffuses
you in its own light.
Be not chimera of...more
It's a strange courage
you give me, ancient star:
Shine alone in the sunrise
toward which you lend no part!
I
Shine alone, shine nakedly, shine like bronze
that reflects neither my face nor any inner part
of my being, shine like fire, that mirrors nothing.
II
Lend no part to any humanity that suffuses
you in its own light.
Be not chimera of...more
Jul 09, 2012
~☆ Alice☆~
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
to-read-over-and-over
There is a nice picture of Robert Frost on the dust jacket of my copy but otherwise this edition seems to match up.
view all 4 comments
My review is on "Selected Poems" by Robert Burns (I noticed the description stated Frost but my ISBN matched their image of the book; my cover is different as it shows Robert Burns as painted by Alexander Nasmyth). I had picked up this book while visiting Scotland several years back and it was a good read then as it is now. His poetry is usually written in dialect which may be difficult to understand for some. However, his lyrical style will capture your ear if not your heart.
My love is like a...more
My love is like a...more
Well, Robert Frost has a way with words and there were images he conjured that were unforgettable, but I can't say I entirely enjoyed every poem in this selection. Some of the poems left me completely baffled and others were disturbing. There were bright spots scattered throughout, though, that kept me going back for more. This being one of my first forays into poetry probably explains the bafflement. I will say that this will not be my last foray into poetry though - this really whetted my appe...more
I would probably rate this around a 3.5 if that were an option.
I have long loved "The Road Not Taken", which not only highlights this edition, but is among my most favorite poems ever!
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has mad all the difference.
Other than that, I am unfamiliar with the rest of frost's work, or at the very least amunable to recall any to mind. I must say that in totality I...more
I have long loved "The Road Not Taken", which not only highlights this edition, but is among my most favorite poems ever!
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has mad all the difference.
Other than that, I am unfamiliar with the rest of frost's work, or at the very least amunable to recall any to mind. I must say that in totality I...more
i studied Robert Frost this year for English lit and at first i hated it, i dreaded the class every week but as time went on i realised that i hadnt really gave him a chance and when i did, wow! i have a whole new appreciation for poetry. his poetry is beautifully written and i love how most of his poems have a higher dimension. my personal favourites are 'mending wall', 'home burial', 'the road less taken' and 'stopping by woods on a snowy evening' top notch stuff!
I hadn't read any Robert Frost before. The introduction was fantastic. I learned a lot and it helped me understand that Frost's poems are just what they are. I love that they are just simple poems that are easy to read and enjoy without too much effort.
Of course I loved The Road Not Taken. It resonates strongly with me. I love the imagery in his poems - of a time and space that can be occupied and enjoyed. And of sensations that can be felt.
I thought it was a good compilation.
Of course I loved The Road Not Taken. It resonates strongly with me. I love the imagery in his poems - of a time and space that can be occupied and enjoyed. And of sensations that can be felt.
I thought it was a good compilation.
This early collection shows Frost is an expert poet, exhibiting mastery of his particular brand of pastoral, and often bleak, verse writing.
Despite this being a collection of considerable size I was hard-pressed to find a piece that wasn't worth the read. Many leaving me rapt in thought for hours, days, some even weeks after. Frost's work here is dense and rewards those willing to spend the time unpacking it. While others still are concise and to-the-point. The varied pace of the works makes it...more
Despite this being a collection of considerable size I was hard-pressed to find a piece that wasn't worth the read. Many leaving me rapt in thought for hours, days, some even weeks after. Frost's work here is dense and rewards those willing to spend the time unpacking it. While others still are concise and to-the-point. The varied pace of the works makes it...more
Now close the windows and hush all the fields:
If the trees must, let them silently toss;
No bird is singing now, and if there is,
Be it my loss.
It will be long ere the marshes resume,
I will be long ere the earliest bird:
So close the windows and not hear the wind,
But see all wind-stirred.
If the trees must, let them silently toss;
No bird is singing now, and if there is,
Be it my loss.
It will be long ere the marshes resume,
I will be long ere the earliest bird:
So close the windows and not hear the wind,
But see all wind-stirred.
I long dismissed Frost, without having read him. This book was very good. About a quarter of it I could do without, and I find rhyming poetry distracting, but when Frost is working, he's working well. I also found his idea of poetry strangely similar to Charles Bukowski's. I'd think the latter would say he hated Frost, and he might have somewhere, but there's a striking similarity in their personae.
I've always liked Robert Frost's intense attention to nature. Several of the poems in this book remind me of John Keats and of ee cummings. Thanks to my friend, Abby, for giving me this beautiful edition for my birthday!
Some really nice poems. Some well known, some not. For me as a non native speaker it was real challenge to understand and enjoy the scottish writing. Nonetheless it is a nice selection of fascinating literature.
Robert Frost, I take such comfort in you and your writing. If we could meet I would say hello and then thank you a hundred times.
One of my favourites:
"Flower Gathering"
I left you in the morning,
And in the morning glow,
You walked a way beside me
to make me sad to go.
Do you know me in the gloaming,
gaunt and dusty gray with roaming?
Are you dumb because you know me not,
Or dumb because you know?
All for me? And not a question
for the faded flowers gay
That could take me from beside you
for the ages of a...more
One of my favourites:
"Flower Gathering"
I left you in the morning,
And in the morning glow,
You walked a way beside me
to make me sad to go.
Do you know me in the gloaming,
gaunt and dusty gray with roaming?
Are you dumb because you know me not,
Or dumb because you know?
All for me? And not a question
for the faded flowers gay
That could take me from beside you
for the ages of a...more
Since I was a little girl, Frost could do no wrong. He still can't. The cadence of his lines, the lucidity of his poetry, always transports me. I'm a little upset that my edition isn't listed here on GR though. Mine has quite a few more poems from his earlier and later life.
Once upon a time, I did not care for Robert Frost, preferring E E Cummings and Truman Capote. But, after long years and a rereading of his poems, I like him.
The Lockless Door, The Road Not Taken, The Hill Wife, and a few others along the way I have read. Some are great, some are long, and some are easy.
First off, this book is just pretty to look at. Second, it has so many different poems ranging from popular ones to more obscure. Robert Frost's writing style is simple and makes this an easy read. It was great. A nice edition to have on your bookshelf.
Burns is the archetypal proletarian poet. These verse are written in a vernacular form of English and deal very much with everyday issues.
his poems are very down-to-earth yet very profound at the same time.
I like his sense of humor and wisdom.
I like his sense of humor and wisdom.
First let me start by saying I may not be the best judge of any poetry book since I don't read this genre much. I prefer Haiku which I love.
But, that being said...This book has Frost's 1st three volumes of poetry. "A Boy's Will"-1913, "North of Boston"-1914, and "Mountain Interval"-1916. Also, some Misc. early poems.
I didn't care much for the Misc. section. My favorite section was "Mountain Interval". And, my favorite poem was "The Road Not Taken". I love that one.
But, that being said...This book has Frost's 1st three volumes of poetry. "A Boy's Will"-1913, "North of Boston"-1914, and "Mountain Interval"-1916. Also, some Misc. early poems.
I didn't care much for the Misc. section. My favorite section was "Mountain Interval". And, my favorite poem was "The Road Not Taken". I love that one.
Classic. Either you like it or do not like it. Regardless, a good collection of timeless poems.
Frost is at his best when writing about nature, and his poetry does an excellent job in depicting his native home.
This volume contains some good lines, some great poems, and quite a few forgettable ones.
This volume contains some good lines, some great poems, and quite a few forgettable ones.
the Road not taken...ce recueil de poèmes sera toujours mon livre de chevet
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And...more
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And...more
My first comprehensive introduction to Burns' work and very satisfying. Covers all the "must-haves" (Auld Lang Syne, Tam O'Shanter, etc.), while not shying away from either his political nor his bawdy verse. The notes at the back are extremely useful and valuable, helping those of us not fluent in Scots to parse some of the more challenging lines, while adding depth and meaning to the poems. And of course the biography and timelines are invaluable as well - especially the history of Scotland to...more
the book has alot of big words!!
this be some good reading yo
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I---
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
The poetry in this book is varied, beautiful, emotional. There are poems that tell a story and some that teach you a lesson. I didn't always understand some of the poems, but he always wrote in such a lyrical, beautiful way that I enjoyed just reading out loud from. I don't have much to say about this since I am not great at reviewing poetry. But I recommend Robert Frost very much.
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
The poetry in this book is varied, beautiful, emotional. There are poems that tell a story and some that teach you a lesson. I didn't always understand some of the poems, but he always wrote in such a lyrical, beautiful way that I enjoyed just reading out loud from. I don't have much to say about this since I am not great at reviewing poetry. But I recommend Robert Frost very much.
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Flinty, moody, plainspoken and deep, Robert Frost was one of America's most popular 20th-century poets. Frost was farming in Derry, New Hampshire when, at the age of 38, he sold the farm, uprooted his family and moved to England, where he devoted himself to his poetry. His first two books of verse, A Boy's Will (1913) and North of Boston (1914), were immediate successes. In 1915 he returned to the...more
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