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Selected Poems
by
T.S. Eliot
This new addition to the elegant Library of Classic Poets series features selections from one of the best-loved poets of the early twentieth century. Elegantly packaged in a handsome edition with a satin ribbon marker, this volume is the perfect addition to any poetry library. From the prolific T.S. Eliot, a pioneer of modernism, here are his most groundbreaking works, inc...more
cloth, 96 pages
Published
March 7th 2006
by Gramercy
(first published 1934)
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In general, my reading tastes are pulp-press-simple. I can neither appreciate, nor enjoy, nor, I admit, even understand, poetry. But Eliot is different, and I don't know why. I have very little understanding of what is going on in the poems themselves, but the lines that are so seeped in meaning and imagery and are so tangible that I can taste them as I read.
I remember having to analyse the first part of "The Waste Land" in high school, and, for once, hating the ponderous application of reason...more
I remember having to analyse the first part of "The Waste Land" in high school, and, for once, hating the ponderous application of reason...more
May 04, 2008
Madeline
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
poetry,
all-time-favorites
"Between the idea
And the reality
Between the motion
And the act
Falls the Shadow
For Thine is the Kingdom
Between the conception
And the creation
Between the emotion
And the response
Falls the Shadow
Life is very long"
"Because I do not hope to turn again
Let these words answer
For what is done, not to be done again
May the judgement not be too heavy upon us
Because these wings are no longer wings to fly
But merely vans to beat the air
The air which is now thoroughly small and dry
Smaller and dryer than the will
T...more
And the reality
Between the motion
And the act
Falls the Shadow
For Thine is the Kingdom
Between the conception
And the creation
Between the emotion
And the response
Falls the Shadow
Life is very long"
"Because I do not hope to turn again
Let these words answer
For what is done, not to be done again
May the judgement not be too heavy upon us
Because these wings are no longer wings to fly
But merely vans to beat the air
The air which is now thoroughly small and dry
Smaller and dryer than the will
T...more
Understanding can come with growth and/or maturity, but how do we know when our dislike of something comes from lack of understanding rather than a simple matter of taste? Eliot lays himself bare, his insecurities and lowest parts offered. He is his audience, he is his reader--the root of the truth in his words. Genius and honesty combined is daunting, but there is beauty to carry you through.
I purchased a small paperback T.S. Eliot Selected poems from a used book store and it doesn't have any barcodes for me to track but it was copy righted in 1930s. It;s a bright yellow book with a illustrated I am assuming Eliot in blue suit. Harbrace paper bound library hpl 21
95 cents it was back in 1930s.
I never really understood the hype for Eliot back in high school, but then again, what did I really know in high school right? Just clueless teenagers going by the book obtain the grades needed...more
95 cents it was back in 1930s.
I never really understood the hype for Eliot back in high school, but then again, what did I really know in high school right? Just clueless teenagers going by the book obtain the grades needed...more
I love this book, it was a hand-me-down from my oldest brother when he finished studying for his A Levels. Due to this is is well dog eared and penned. Not a line doesn't have a scribble of some sort marking down an interpretation of Eliot's literary prowess.
My favourite of the poems in the book is Portrait Of A Lady, something about this poem just speaks to me. I love the language used and the images conveyed. You can tell that every word Eliot has put forward to you has been carefully chosen a...more
My favourite of the poems in the book is Portrait Of A Lady, something about this poem just speaks to me. I love the language used and the images conveyed. You can tell that every word Eliot has put forward to you has been carefully chosen a...more
Actually, I've read these poems many times before. In fact, I read some of them several times during any given year. Everything up to "Choruses from the Rock" is, IMHO, pretty much gold. "Choruses" (which I focused more on this go round) however kind of sucks. It's dry, it's pompous, and it takes up too many pages. At this point in Eliot's writing life, the magic is pretty much gone. As you read "Choruses," you'll hear many of the earlier poems (especially if you've been reading straight through...more
I've been thoroughly reading my copy of T.S Eliot's Selected Poems in the past day or two, and I must say I really do love his writing. I confess; for the most part his referencing is so obscure that 90% goes right over my head, but as I'm going to be actually studying the poems in detail and university, I've been doing some research as I go along (hence making me understand them and appreciate them a lot more).
His poems are, in essence, right up my street: often dark and melancholy; reminiscent...more
T.S. Eliot is one of the greatest poets of all time. There are only a handful of poets that are even in the same league with him. I have said that when I drink tea, like T.S. Eliot, my entire life flashes before my eyes. It is the simple things that burn memories in our mind. Who speaks of memory and desire like Eliot? No one.
"April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain." (The Waste-Land,I.,The Burial of the Dead...more
T.S. Eliot, I am spectacularly ambivalent about. I greatly admire his verse, but I often find myself emotionally blindsided by his imagery. He often seems to be moving in directions perpendicular to those I move in, and while he offers ideas that I find valuable for coping with the modern world, he also offers ideas I find unpalatably modern. I hope some day to actually make it through "The Waste Land."
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Not for the first time I wish goodreads did half stars. I would have given this 4.5 stars if there was a way. Home with flu this past week and, again, looking for a change from all the fantasy I've been reading of late, I turned to this slim volume. Didn't go "data-mining" (as one Guardian writer rather fabulously called the process of reading poetry with the intent of finding every reference and allusion) - just read the poems for a response to the rhythm and the sounds and the impressions. The...more
Dear T. S. Eliot,
I had never read your poetry before. But from the first stanza of "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" you captivated me and I was spellbound by your words.
I find now you hold a place in my heart as one of my favourite poets.
I only regret that this selection of your poems is so short, being less than 100 pages. Also, I did not understand the poems in French very well. Translations would have been appreciated since my personal translations were rather shoddy, not to mention chop...more
I had never read your poetry before. But from the first stanza of "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" you captivated me and I was spellbound by your words.
I find now you hold a place in my heart as one of my favourite poets.
I only regret that this selection of your poems is so short, being less than 100 pages. Also, I did not understand the poems in French very well. Translations would have been appreciated since my personal translations were rather shoddy, not to mention chop...more
I'm someone who is currently studying Eliot's poetry and I felt that this book was a great introduction to T. S. Eliot. It took me sometime before I could genuinely come to understand and appreciate his poetry and I still find some of his poetry seems to miss the mark as too dense and perhaps overly constructed while others have rich layers of imagery and allusion that reward a little effort and rereading with a sense of large and vivid meaning and depth.
Reading Eliot's serious poetry requires...more
Reading Eliot's serious poetry requires...more
A friend of mine once said to me that when he really thought about it, the modern world began with The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, and it ended with the Wasteland, and everything else since then has just been an echo, a hologram of the universe projected into three dimensional space. I could google that to find out if he stole part or all of it, because its possible since he is a writer and we are a terrible thieving lot, but it matters little, since this is a terrifically compact sliver of...more
T.S.Eliot : Fact or Fiction?
I have to admit that up till now I had avoided him, he seemed so inaccessible and obscurant. Having more time on my hands, I decided that I would join battle with him once more.
After I had finished reading the poetry in this collection I was astonished. Apart from the last poem, The Chase, there did not seem to be a dud amongst them. The poems were not easy, in fact I needed to read each one three, four and more times to get an idea of what was happening in them. Howe...more
I have to admit that up till now I had avoided him, he seemed so inaccessible and obscurant. Having more time on my hands, I decided that I would join battle with him once more.
After I had finished reading the poetry in this collection I was astonished. Apart from the last poem, The Chase, there did not seem to be a dud amongst them. The poems were not easy, in fact I needed to read each one three, four and more times to get an idea of what was happening in them. Howe...more
I have always loved the English language, probably because it is my mother tongue. I have had brief romances with Classical Chinese and Khmer, they have their special flavour, but for me the English language in the hands of a master is breathtaking. I first discovered this love as a child and it deepened when I was a teenager. There was a world within words that could touch the deepest places in me in ways that nothing else could. They gave me solace in my loneliness, they gave me comfort in my...more
I've tried to like poetry, really I have. I had to read this book in university and I just don't get it at all. These poems don't seem to be about anything. They're just confusing as hell to me. I suppose it was never meant to be when my favourite poem of all time (and the only one I can quote from memory) is this:
I eat my peas with honey
I've done it all my life
It makes the peas taste funny
But it keeps them on my knife
If something like this had been in this book I would have given it another sta...more
I eat my peas with honey
I've done it all my life
It makes the peas taste funny
But it keeps them on my knife
If something like this had been in this book I would have given it another sta...more
I have to confess that at this point in time I haven't read every poem in this book, however my love of The Wasteland and The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is enough to give this book 4 stars. Poetry is something that hasn't always jumped out at me, normally I much prefer novels, but T.S. Eliot can definitely be given credit for my change in attitude. Both are truly amazing piece of art.
May 16, 2010
Marguerite
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
poetry-and-essays
A friend (Thanks, Bruce) introduced me to Eliot nearly 40 years ago. My paperback edition cost less than a dollar, and I've gotten my money's worth. I pulled this out yesterday to check a quote, but that wasn't sufficient. I had to stop what I was doing and read the entire poem. I find so much to relate to here. Eliot is a master with words. I'll likely never finish this exploration. One of my favorite writers ever.
Blech, blech, blech. One person described Eliot as a master with words. I wonder if I read a different volume of poetry than she did. While every once in a while, his imagery caught my fancy, most I just hated this little volume of poetry. As someone else commented, with all the other 5 star ratings, it could just be me. Be that as it may, I did not like this poetry. I accept that about myself. :)
"Do I dare
Disturb the universe?"
Reading his poetry is such a unique experiance, it is like I know what the next line is going to be before reading it. The ideas and images follow one another so effortlessly, it is so immensely captivating, touching and inspiring.
I had a small piece of paper next to me while reading it, which is now covered in quotes.
Disturb the universe?"
Reading his poetry is such a unique experiance, it is like I know what the next line is going to be before reading it. The ideas and images follow one another so effortlessly, it is so immensely captivating, touching and inspiring.
I had a small piece of paper next to me while reading it, which is now covered in quotes.
I give this a low rating not because T.S. Eliot is not "good", but rather because I simply didn't enjoy it, especially towards the end. Seeing other people's ratings, and of course knowing T.S. Eliot's reputation, makes me believe that it may be me rather than him, but that doesn't change that I didn't enjoy it.
"The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the
window-panes
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from
chimneys,
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep."
MMM...I once hated this poem so much that my notes in high school read, "Stupidest poem ever!" My how time changes ones reading of this amazing poet....more
window-panes
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from
chimneys,
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep."
MMM...I once hated this poem so much that my notes in high school read, "Stupidest poem ever!" My how time changes ones reading of this amazing poet....more
I'm very selective about the few poets I like. T.S Eliot is one of them. I like his style, the way he puts his words together. It's all very dreamy & lovely. Sometimes when he rhymes it make me laugh, I like it best when he doesn't. I am more able to get lost in the words & phrases & not my giggles.
I'm not much for poetry, but I found this while weeding my personal library. I enjoyed Eliot's "Four Quartets," so I'm guessing that's why I picked up this book. "Choruses from 'The Rock'" is probably the only selection that really spoke to me out of all the poems in this collection.
Eliot and Whitman, each in his own way, set out intentionally to turn poetry into something that couldn't be read. They were very successful, because they were tremendously gifted. We should not be grateful to them.
However, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is a jewel.
However, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is a jewel.
After watching a TV documentry on Eliot I thought I'd try a selection of his poetry. I enjoyed the Wasteland... but confess I didn't 'get' most of it - I just liked the language and the mood it envoked. Not so keen on the religious stuff though.
Fragmented, confusing and yet simple, the trick with this one is to not look at the notes for a definition... you are not supposed to get it all... its about the inaccessibility of knowledge in crumbling modern words.
I understood very little of this but the imagery and the feelings in the writing alone were enough to make me love Eliot's poetry. My favourite is the Hollow Men. I hope that one day I can read this when I am older and wiser and perhaps understand it more.
I adore T. S. Eliot! I love "The Hollow Men" and "Rhapsody on a Windy Night". (: He had amazing writing talent and the fact that he's still respected and read today is definitely saying something.
Best read out-loud for yourself, and remember misogyny and antisemitism does not mean poetry void of beauty and truth. The grimy beauty of Eliot's masterful versification compresses and plants dense metaphysical ideas next to one another which find their expression in a pure and controlled diction. I'm afraid I was often left writhing in some kind of paroxysm of pleasure. This is difficult poetry with an encyclopedic sprawl of references but very rewarding if you're invested. My favourites compr...more
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| T.S. Eliot International Summer School, 10-17 July 2010, London | 1 | 2 | May 26, 2010 04:39am |
Thomas Stearns Eliot was a poet, dramatist and literary critic. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948 "for his outstanding, pioneer contribution to present-day poetry." He wrote the poems The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, The Waste Land, The Hollow Men, Ash Wednesday, and Four Quartets; the plays Murder in the Cathedral and The Cocktail Party; and the essay Tradition and the Individ...more
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“Unreal City,
Under the brown fog of a winter dawn,
A crowd flowed over London Bridge, so many,
I had not thought death had undone so many.
Sighs, short and infrequent, were exhaled,
And each man fixed his eyes before his feet.
Flowed up the hill and down King William Street,
To where St Mary Woolnoth kept the hours
With a dead sound on the final stock of nine.
There I saw one I knew, and stopped him crying: 'Stetson!
You, who were with me in the ships at Mylae!
That corpse you planted last year in your garden,
Has it begun to sprout? Will it bloom this year?
Or has the sudden frost disturbed its bed?
Oh keep the Dog far hence, that's friend to men,
Or with his nails he'll dig it up again!
You! hypocrite lecteur!-mon semblable,-mon frere!”
—
13 people liked it
Under the brown fog of a winter dawn,
A crowd flowed over London Bridge, so many,
I had not thought death had undone so many.
Sighs, short and infrequent, were exhaled,
And each man fixed his eyes before his feet.
Flowed up the hill and down King William Street,
To where St Mary Woolnoth kept the hours
With a dead sound on the final stock of nine.
There I saw one I knew, and stopped him crying: 'Stetson!
You, who were with me in the ships at Mylae!
That corpse you planted last year in your garden,
Has it begun to sprout? Will it bloom this year?
Or has the sudden frost disturbed its bed?
Oh keep the Dog far hence, that's friend to men,
Or with his nails he'll dig it up again!
You! hypocrite lecteur!-mon semblable,-mon frere!”
“Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky”
—
11 people liked it
More quotes…
When the evening is spread out against the sky”
