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Opposites, More Opposites, and a Few Differences
This collection includes the full text and drawings from Opposites and More Opposites, plus seven additional poems and drawings about differences. Readers of all ages will delight in this volume of witty wordplay and clever illustrations from two-time Pulitzer Prize recipient and National Book Award winner Richard Wilbur.
96 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
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109 people want to read
About the author
Richard Wilbur
254 books71 followersEarly years :
Wilbur was born in New York City and grew up in North Caldwell, New Jersey.He graduated from Montclair High School in 1938, having worked on the school newspaper as a student there. He graduated from Amherst College in 1942 and then served in the United States Army from 1943 to 1945 during World War II. After the Army and graduate school at Harvard University, Wilbur taught at Wesleyan University for two decades and at Smith College for another decade. At Wesleyan, he was instrumental in founding the award-winning poetry series of the University Press.He received two Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry and, as of 2011, teaches at Amherst College.He is also on the editorial board of the literary magazine The Common, based at Amherst College.He married Charlotte Hayes Ward in 1942 after his graduation from Amherst; she was a student at nearby Smith College.
Career :
When only 8 years old, Wilbur published his first poem in John Martin's Magazine. His first book, The Beautiful Changes and Other Poems, appeared in 1947. Since then he has published several volumes of poetry, including New and Collected Poems (Faber, 1989). Wilbur is also a translator, specializing in the 17th century French comedies of Molière and the dramas of Jean Racine. His translation of Tartuffe has become the standard English version of the play, and has been presented on television twice (a 1978 production is available on DVD.)
Continuing the tradition of Robert Frost and W. H. Auden, Wilbur's poetry finds illumination in everyday experiences. Less well-known is Wilbur's foray into lyric writing. He provided lyrics to several songs in Leonard Bernstein's 1956 musical, Candide, including the famous "Glitter and Be Gay" and "Make Our Garden Grow." He has also produced several unpublished works such as "The Wing" and "To Beatrice".
His honors include the 1983 Drama Desk Special Award for his translation of The Misanthrope, the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the National Book Award, both in 1957, the Edna St Vincent Millay award, the Bollingen Prize, and the Chevalier, Ordre National des Palmes Académiques. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1959.In 1987 Wilbur became the second poet, after Robert Penn Warren, to be named U.S. Poet Laureate after the position's title was changed from Poetry Consultant. In 1989 he won a second Pulitzer, this one for his New and Collected Poems. On October 14, 1994, he received the National Medal of Arts from President Clinton. In 2006, Wilbur won the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. In 2010 he won the National Translation Award for the translation of The Theatre of Illusion by Pierre Corneille.
Wilbur was born in New York City and grew up in North Caldwell, New Jersey.He graduated from Montclair High School in 1938, having worked on the school newspaper as a student there. He graduated from Amherst College in 1942 and then served in the United States Army from 1943 to 1945 during World War II. After the Army and graduate school at Harvard University, Wilbur taught at Wesleyan University for two decades and at Smith College for another decade. At Wesleyan, he was instrumental in founding the award-winning poetry series of the University Press.He received two Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry and, as of 2011, teaches at Amherst College.He is also on the editorial board of the literary magazine The Common, based at Amherst College.He married Charlotte Hayes Ward in 1942 after his graduation from Amherst; she was a student at nearby Smith College.
Career :
When only 8 years old, Wilbur published his first poem in John Martin's Magazine. His first book, The Beautiful Changes and Other Poems, appeared in 1947. Since then he has published several volumes of poetry, including New and Collected Poems (Faber, 1989). Wilbur is also a translator, specializing in the 17th century French comedies of Molière and the dramas of Jean Racine. His translation of Tartuffe has become the standard English version of the play, and has been presented on television twice (a 1978 production is available on DVD.)
Continuing the tradition of Robert Frost and W. H. Auden, Wilbur's poetry finds illumination in everyday experiences. Less well-known is Wilbur's foray into lyric writing. He provided lyrics to several songs in Leonard Bernstein's 1956 musical, Candide, including the famous "Glitter and Be Gay" and "Make Our Garden Grow." He has also produced several unpublished works such as "The Wing" and "To Beatrice".
His honors include the 1983 Drama Desk Special Award for his translation of The Misanthrope, the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the National Book Award, both in 1957, the Edna St Vincent Millay award, the Bollingen Prize, and the Chevalier, Ordre National des Palmes Académiques. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1959.In 1987 Wilbur became the second poet, after Robert Penn Warren, to be named U.S. Poet Laureate after the position's title was changed from Poetry Consultant. In 1989 he won a second Pulitzer, this one for his New and Collected Poems. On October 14, 1994, he received the National Medal of Arts from President Clinton. In 2006, Wilbur won the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. In 2010 he won the National Translation Award for the translation of The Theatre of Illusion by Pierre Corneille.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 11, 2021
When I was in 2nd grade, my mind was blown by this book. Especially this:
What is the opposite of doe?
The answer's buck, as you should know.
A buck is dough, you say? Well, well,
Clearly you don't know how to spell.
Moreover, get this through your head:
The current slang for dough is bread.
What is the opposite of doe?
The answer's buck, as you should know.
A buck is dough, you say? Well, well,
Clearly you don't know how to spell.
Moreover, get this through your head:
The current slang for dough is bread.
September 26, 2011
Ages 9-12. Wilbur’s poetry is delightful, witty and perhaps most valuable, wonderful for both children and adults. The book explores opposites, employing somewhat advanced vocabulary but clearly addressed to children. The combination of higher vocabulary and targeted audience offers youth the opportunity to advance their own verbal skills, through the careful and gentle attention from the author. The poetry is free form, but it rhymes, making it easier to understand how a word should be pronounced. This book of poetry is well designed to encourage discussion between adults and children, and also has the advantage of appeal to both girls and boys. Opposites, More Opposites and a Few Differences is great for a collection which serves youth who have access personal discussion with mentors or parents.
November 25, 2018
80 or so little clever poems. They skew a bit older--9-12.
The opposite of earth are two,
And which to choose is up to you.
One opposite is called the sky,
And that's where larks and swallows fly;
But angels, there, are few if any,
Whereas in heaven there are many.
Well, which word are you voting for?
Do birds or angels please you more?
It's very plain that you are loath
To choose. All right, we'll keep them both.
What is the opposite of two?
A lonely me, a lonely you.
What is the opposite of Cupid?
If you don't know, you're pretty stupid.
It's someone with a crossbow who
Delights in shooting darts at you.
Not with the kind intention of
Persuading you to fall in love,
But to be mean, and make you shout,
"I hate you," "Ouch," and "Cut it out."
The opposite of earth are two,
And which to choose is up to you.
One opposite is called the sky,
And that's where larks and swallows fly;
But angels, there, are few if any,
Whereas in heaven there are many.
Well, which word are you voting for?
Do birds or angels please you more?
It's very plain that you are loath
To choose. All right, we'll keep them both.
What is the opposite of two?
A lonely me, a lonely you.
What is the opposite of Cupid?
If you don't know, you're pretty stupid.
It's someone with a crossbow who
Delights in shooting darts at you.
Not with the kind intention of
Persuading you to fall in love,
But to be mean, and make you shout,
"I hate you," "Ouch," and "Cut it out."
February 2, 2017
this book is amazing!
it's poetic and somehow there's a lot of hidden messages ( like a riddle ) but displayed in such hilarious and witty way. It also teaches morality and values.
I love the word play, Richard Wilbur really knows how to play with language. He brilliantly combine both simple and advance vocabulary. I never get so excited to read poetry like this.
Never get bored to read it again, perfect for any age!
I love this book so much!
it's poetic and somehow there's a lot of hidden messages ( like a riddle ) but displayed in such hilarious and witty way. It also teaches morality and values.
I love the word play, Richard Wilbur really knows how to play with language. He brilliantly combine both simple and advance vocabulary. I never get so excited to read poetry like this.
Never get bored to read it again, perfect for any age!
I love this book so much!
June 13, 2019
Delightful. A perfect addition to our morning basket.
August 21, 2025
উইলবারের কিছু কবিতা পড়ে মুগ্ধ হয়েছিলাম। এই বইয়ের মূর্ধন্য-রসে-সিঞ্চিত ছড়াগুলো পড়ে আর কাঁচা অলংকরণগুলো দেখে আনন্দ পেলাম। সুকুমার রায়ের ছড়াগুলোর সমকক্ষ না হলেও উইলবারের বিচিত্র বৈপরীত্যবেদী ছড়াগুলোকে কাছাকাছি কোনো কক্ষে রাখা যায়।
January 21, 2020
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book is a wonderful series of short, limerick poems about life and all its oddities. While it focused on opposites and differences, the things the author chose to focus on were delightfully random. The author reminds me of Shel Silverstein in the way he looks at the world. A great example of this is: “What’s the opposite of string? It’s gnitrs, which doesn’t mean a thing” (Wilbur, 2000). The author takes a seemingly ordinary word and turns it upside down and inside out to make an opposite out of it. It is so fun to read and it is never what the reader expects it to be.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone, not just children. This book really took me back to my poetry roots of Shel Silverstein in its quirkiness and dedication to being odd. Though the poems were short, they very clearly got the message across: remember to always look at life from every angle, not just the obvious ones. In some of the opposite poems, I thought I could guess where the author was going, but I was always wrong. The author always took a detour I wasn’t expecting, and I loved it. The book as a whole made me feel like a child again, and I hope everyone reads it at some point.
This book is a wonderful series of short, limerick poems about life and all its oddities. While it focused on opposites and differences, the things the author chose to focus on were delightfully random. The author reminds me of Shel Silverstein in the way he looks at the world. A great example of this is: “What’s the opposite of string? It’s gnitrs, which doesn’t mean a thing” (Wilbur, 2000). The author takes a seemingly ordinary word and turns it upside down and inside out to make an opposite out of it. It is so fun to read and it is never what the reader expects it to be.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone, not just children. This book really took me back to my poetry roots of Shel Silverstein in its quirkiness and dedication to being odd. Though the poems were short, they very clearly got the message across: remember to always look at life from every angle, not just the obvious ones. In some of the opposite poems, I thought I could guess where the author was going, but I was always wrong. The author always took a detour I wasn’t expecting, and I loved it. The book as a whole made me feel like a child again, and I hope everyone reads it at some point.
December 27, 2016
Am I writing to delete? Oh, maybe for a later edit but the delight from this book will for sure persist. The words come from left to right as expected. While you fly through them, something peculiar may happen. The heart is touched somehow. Luckily, stop beating ain't an option. It goes louder. Making you happier.
June 22, 2009
Great book for bother adults and kids. Wilbur knows how to play with the language.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews