The Unicorn and Other Poems

by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

A collection of poetry by Anne Morrow Lindburgh. Divided into two sections. The first with seven poems is titled "Love" the second with eight poems is called "Death. Magnificent poetry.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, American, Unicorns

86 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1956

About the author

Anne Morrow Lindbergh was born in 1906. She married Charles Lindbergh in 1929 and became a noted aviator in her own right, eventually publishing several books on the subject and receiving several aviation awards. Gift from the Sea, published in 1955, earned her international acclaim. She was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame, the National Women’s Hall of Fame, and the Aviation Hall of Fame of New Jersey. War Within and Without, the penultimate installment of her published diaries, received the Christopher Award in 1980. Mrs. Lindbergh died in 2001 at the age of ninety-four.

Not to be confused with her daughter Anne Lindbergh.

Reviews

[Julie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

After being a bit underwhelmed by Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift from the Sea several years ago, I haven't been terribly inspired to pick up this collection of her poems, published in 1956.

I've owned a copy for years, and every time I've cracked it open to attempt some of the verse, I've been greeted by the unappealing aroma of patchouli oil and dust.

For some reason, I think of Ms. Lindbergh's poetry as being influenced by Emily Dickinson and William Blake, famous poets that I respect, but don't necessarily favor.

In short: I thought this would be a boring collection.

Ha! Have you ever read a bio of Ms. Lindbergh's?? I had not, until this week, and I can not believe how wrong I was, to think I understood anything about her life.

I had known that the flying Lindberghs were once a famous couple in America, before their first child was abducted from their home and murdered. I also knew that the Lindberghs had fled from America after the media hounded them relentlessly after the murder of their child. I did not know that the Lindberghs found themselves in some serious hot water when Charles Lindbergh, Anne's famous husband, decided to get back in touch with his “German roots” at a particularly bad time in world history (also known as WWII).

The Lindberghs returned to America, after some misplaced loyalties to Nazi Germany, with Charles eating crow, professionally, and Anne plunging herself into her writing.

Anne became a prolific writer, while it appears that Charles was just. . . prolific.

I had a similar experience reading Ms. Lindbergh's poetry as I did while reading Christina Rossetti's. Which means: by paying attention, I was able to start unraveling some mysteries about the woman writing the poems.

There's pain here. Loss. The suggestion of abandonment, within the marriage. A hint of lovers, too.

There's also an exceptional poem titled, “Family Album,” in which Ms. Lindbergh reflects on how it feels to look at an old photograph of her young parents, newly married.

She writes:

I long to comfort you for all you two
In time to come must meet and suffer through,
To answer with a hindsight-given truth
The questions in those wondering eyes of youth.
I long to tell you, starting on your quest,
“You'll do it all, you know, you'll meet the test.”

Another favorite of mine was “Space,” in which she contrasts the beauty of something sparse with the immensity of having it all:

A tree's significant when it's alone,
Standing against the sky's wide open face;
A sail, spark-white upon the space of sea,
Can pin a whole horizon into place.

Ms. Lindbergh suffered some devastating losses and humiliations in her lifetime (which was generous). As a public figure, she had to put her best face forward, but I felt some authenticity and courage in what she revealed ever so subtly in verse.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this.

Blow through me, Life, pared down to the last bone,
So fragile and fearless have I grown!

[MountainAshleah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, there are some very clunky lines in this book of poems, and yes, the poems can be so very formal and forced to fit the meter. BUT, there are also some absolute gems that I have read now over and over. Some of the poems/passages from the poems were unexpectedly dark, and I loved that discovery (very similar to Robert Frost's turn of darkness). Perhaps it's because I live in this kind of a forested environment where there are as many shadows as sunlight passages, but I enjoyed this slender volume.

[Caleb]

Alms

Like birds in winter
You fed me;
Knowing the ground was frozen,
Knowing
I should never come to your hand,
Knowing
You did not need my gratitude.

Softly,
Like snow falling on snow,
Softly, so not to frighten me,
Softly,
You threw your crumbs upon the ground—
And walked away.

[Karen Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh is one of my favorite books, and I’ve had this book oof her poetry for decades. That’s why I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to read this. Her poems reflect the tragedy that was her life, specifically the kidnapping and murder of her beloved first child. My favorite poems in this collection were Family Album, Revisitation, Elegy under the stars, and many others. I’m glad I finally got around to reading this, and I will save my copy.

[aly ☆.。.:* · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thrifted this yesterday. Do I regret buying it if I didn't enjoy it? No, the cover is nice to look at. Also it was $2.

Honestly, I'm not smart enough for this, this type of poetry takes up too much brainpower for me. I want to be able to at least somewhat understand it.

Although, I did like the little mermaid and the unicorn poem. there was a few about death and grief as well that were somewhat comforting. At least the parts I could understand from them.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

These poems are obviously tinged with, some even driven or inspired by, grief. But splinters of hope glint through the soft darkness.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s “Gift from the Sea” and have reread it in various seasons of my life. Although enjoyable, most of her poetry didn’t speak to in the same way as her prose. There were exceptions and there were some beautiful truths and allusions to her tragic loss that were quite moving.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very nice.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I intentionally picked up this book to fulfill the "book you haven't read since high school" piece of the Popsugar challenge. I loved this book in high school and re-read it often, but I remembered the poems being very simplistic and worried that as a more critical adult reader, they wouldn't resonate.

I could not have been more wrong. Not only did the poems resonate, but I liked them even better than I did 20+ years ago. In the back of my mind, I carried the knowledge of Lindbergh's life - the kidnapping and murder of her first child, her daring as a pilot, her unpopular politics, and her affairs. Her writing is deceptively simple and captures all those high and lows beautifully.

Popsugar Challenge: book you haven't read since high school

[Tristan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was seriously unimpressed by this book. I thought the poems were dull and almost preachy; she tried far too hard to be deep and meaningful and inspirational, so she came off sounding like a poorly written book of long proverbs. I also thought that in some sections (I don't have the book in front of me, so I can't find them) that she put form over content. She had a solid command of meter and rhyme, but sometimes seemed to sacrifice what she said to reach them. The poem that was about her parents' wedding photo (I can't remember the title at the moment) was decent, but even that one wasn't great.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm embarassed to say I NEVER, yes NEVER read poetry. This is the first time I've read any poetry since the required high school stanzas that I thought were just torture...I enjoyed Anne's insights, though, and came away with more appreciation for a different way of putting your thoughts on paper. Still not my favorite genre to read, but I"ll have to work on that. Any suggestions?? Favorite poets??

[Elaine Shipley-pope · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Unicorn is a collection of poems by Lindbergh. They were nice and easy going and a great read to relax with. It was nice to be able to read a poem or two here and there. Most of the poems had a sad note to it. Some were fairly obvious but others had a deep sadness flowing just under the surface. Most of the poems I have come across in the last few years have been mostly cheery so it was s nice change. I really enjoyed this book and give a four out of five stars.

[Brittanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read books of pure poetry but I happened upon this jewel at a thrift store some time ago and was intrigued by the title (poems about unicorns? woo!). She writes beautifully and is an inspiration for my own fantasy poems. The fact that these were written in the 1920's and can still be enjoyed by a young teenager today, shows that these stand the test of time.

[Lauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not generally a fan of poetry, but I enjoyed Gift from the Sea (essays by Lindbergh) several years ago and I found this book for 50¢ at a used book sale, so I thought I'd give it a try. Great for a Sunday morning read. I especially liked: Elegy Under the Stars, Testament, No Harvest Ripening, Pilgrim, Saint for our Time, The Unicorn in Captivity, Family Album, and Revisitation.

[Ally · Rating 1 out of 5]

There was only 1 good poem in it but that's the reason I bought the book. I'm turning the rest of it into a blackout poetry doodle book for my own personal uses.

But yeah. No genuine beauty to be had here, at least for me.

[Barb Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book of poetry. Still....." Gift from the Sea" is A M Lindbergs best book by far for me.

[Barbara]

I loved it so much I stole it from the school library and I still have it...shhhhh! don't tell anyone

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite poem was probably "The Unicorn." The book was enjoyable.

[Susan Sonnen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Anne Morrow Lindbergh's poetry, but with this reading I had the added benefit of the lovely musty scent of a book printed in 1956. :)

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty, leatherbound book of poems I found deep in the library. My favorites were The Little Mermaid, The Unicorn, Pas de Deux -- Winter, Within the Wave, and Back to the Islands.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

lyrical and hopeful

[LemontreeLime · Rating 3 out of 5]

Been meaning to read this for years. Not bad, a little old fashioned, with a writing style popular in the 20s/30s. But that, of course, was when she wrote them...

[anya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories and lessons well embedded in each page.

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

My favorite poems:

~ Two Citadels

~ A Leaf, a Flower and a Stone

~ Elegy Under the Stars

~ Mountain

~ This Paper Boat

~ Space

~ Pas de deux -- Winter

~ Ascent

~ Presentiment

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

My favorite quotes:

~ "Fused moments of felicity, when flame in eye and heart unite, come they from earth, or can they be the swallows of eternity?" (page 12, Interior Tree)

~ "Oh, do you not recall it was a tree, springing from earth so passionately straight and tall, that made you see, at last, what giant force lay pushing in your heart?" (page 18, No Angels)

~ "But breath's no luxury; a feather more is all to make lungs rise and fall, catastrophe." (page 22, Mountain)

~ "A word falls in the silence like a star, searing the empty heavens with a scar of beautiful and solitary flight against the dark and speechless space of night." (page 55, Space)

~"To what thin melody does it dance? What lost note vibrates in me? From the past or future? Memory or presentiment?" (page 71, Presentiment)

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find books of short stories or poetry hard to rate however

1) If date the majority of these poems a 4
2) Having some familial notoriety and historical context for where these poems came about in this woman's life gives them a perspective, depth and meaning i may not have applied to them otherwise.

Mind, celebrity does not always a higher star rating make. I would have enjoyed these very much without knowing any background.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

With headings like Love, Death, Captive Spirit, The Unicorn, Open Sky and Wind of Time, this should have checked all the boxes for me. Unfortunately,  I think it was just not the right book at the right time. Don't get me wrong, the writing was beautiful and I completely recommend this. I just clearly need to be in the mood and poetry headspace for this to hit properly. I may revisit. “Wind of Time” collection stood out as a different feel that may be the most similar to my taste.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read any poetry not in an academic setting in years so I believe I'm slightly biased. I do like descriptions of trees and how the descriptions of different seasons interacted with each other. It also reminded me of a childhood film the Last Unicorn and my favorite musician at the moment Radical Face.

[Kevin Keating · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had some good writing, some poems I didn't really like. After reading them all, it just seems like most of them were about loneliness and depression. Or at least I felt that way while reading them. I don't know if she (Mrs Lindbergh) had been a good poetess or not, but I would have liked a little interpretation added to the book. Might have helped a little to appreciate the poetry.

[Caitlin Vaille · Rating 4 out of 5]

"And was it not that spray of dogwood blossoms, white across your road, that all at once made grief too great a load to bear?"—No Angels

So many stunning poems with vivid imagery in this collection. The ones that resonated most with me were No Angels, Testament, Broken Shell, and Revisitation.

[Francesca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this poetry was written well except for the rhyming. I am a reader who does not enjoy rhyming poetry. It still gave me a mystical and beautiful energy, and I enjoyed some of the poems in this collection.

[Alʕ￫ᴥ￩ʔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book for a dollar , I only really liked a couple!
my favorites were
Mountain, flight of birds , broken shell
~~ “ blow through me , life, pared down at last to bone , so fragile and so fearless have I grown ! ~~