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Short and Sweet: 101 Very Short Poems
Some of the finest poems are short. Whether it's Edward Lear's limericks Or the fragments of Sappho, brevity is very often the soul of a poet's wit: what would be obvious and mundane expressed in lengthy prose, or prolix doggerel, becomes amusing or moving when forcibly compressed into five or seven--or three or two--lines of poetry.
No stranger to the pithy himself, poet Simon Armitage has collected 101 of literature's best "very short poems" in this anthology. His criterion of shortness (as he explains in a witty introduction) is that no poem should be more than 13 lines long. This deliberately excludes the 14-line sonnet, but manages to include some famous nearly-sonnets: such as Gerard Manley Hopkins's Pied Beauty("Glory be to God for dappled things"). It's towards the end of the book, where the poems dwindle in size (they are arranged so that the longer precede the shorter), that Armitage's selection comes truly into its own. Some of the poems are so tiny they are quotable in their entirety, Gavin Ewart's "Penal", for instance: "The clanking and wanking of Her Majesty's Prison", or Edwin Morgan's Siesta of a Hungarian Snake,"s sz sz SZ sz SZ sz ZS zs Zs zs zs z." Finally, right at the end, comes a laugh-out-loud piece that manages to remain a poem while consisting of no lines whatsoever. --Sean Thomas
- GenresPoetry
128 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 1999
7 people are currently reading
148 people want to read
About the author
Simon Armitage
144 books373 followersSimon Armitage, whose The Shout was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, has published ten volumes of poetry and has received numerous honors for his work. He was appointed UK Poet Laureate in 2019
Armitage's poetry collections include Book of Matches (1993) and The Dead Sea Poems (1995). He has written two novels, Little Green Man (2001) and The White Stuff (2004), as well as All Points North (1998), a collection of essays on the north of England. He has produced a dramatised version of Homer's Odyssey and a collection of poetry entitled Tyrannosaurus Rex Versus The Corduroy Kid (which was shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize), both of which were published in July 2006. Many of Armitage's poems appear in the AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance) GCSE syllabus for English Literature in the United Kingdom. These include "Homecoming", "November", "Kid", "Hitcher", and a selection of poems from Book of Matches, most notably of these "Mother any distance...". His writing is characterised by a dry Yorkshire wit combined with "an accessible, realist style and critical seriousness."
Armitage's poetry collections include Book of Matches (1993) and The Dead Sea Poems (1995). He has written two novels, Little Green Man (2001) and The White Stuff (2004), as well as All Points North (1998), a collection of essays on the north of England. He has produced a dramatised version of Homer's Odyssey and a collection of poetry entitled Tyrannosaurus Rex Versus The Corduroy Kid (which was shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize), both of which were published in July 2006. Many of Armitage's poems appear in the AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance) GCSE syllabus for English Literature in the United Kingdom. These include "Homecoming", "November", "Kid", "Hitcher", and a selection of poems from Book of Matches, most notably of these "Mother any distance...". His writing is characterised by a dry Yorkshire wit combined with "an accessible, realist style and critical seriousness."
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December 22, 2023Short, yes, but not always sweet. I was often confused at specific selections from certain authors, as even I could source some of their poems that were as short but more impactful. A little too much fluff and not enough substance.
June 23, 2012
I read this this afternoon in the bookshop and enjoyed it a lot. The book works its way down in the number of lines to ever shorter poems, from 13 lines to none (just a title), and I must say that things improved as they went along.
Many of these poems were well-worn ground, but there were surprises and discoveries, also from well-known poets, Sylvia Plath’s “The Hanging Man,” for example, which I can’t say I’ve read before. I also liked Glyn Maxwell’s “Lust,” Douglas Dunn’s “On Roofs of Terry Street,” Louis Macneice’s “The Brandy Glass,” and Edwin Morgan’s “Siesta of a Hungarian Snake.” I was also happy to find Medbh McGuckian’s gorgeous “Captain Lavender,” which I’ve loved for years. She is out of this world.
On the could-have-done-without-it side, if I have to read Wm. Carlos Williams’ “This is Just to Say” ever again I will literally scream. I promise.
A number of poets had more than one poem, including Stevie Smith, James Tate, and Robert Frost. Very anglo, too, now that I think of it, though there was a (very good) Tomas Salamun poem, too.
My one quibble is the book bills itself as a collection of “very short” poems, but 12-13 lines to me is not very short. Very short starts at about seven lines, in my opinion. And the lines of some of the 12-line poems were also so long that they wrapped. (Lost a star for this quibble, book!)
This book is part of a Faber series that also includes a collection of humorous poems, one of easy-to-memorize poems (?), and another called “Sounds Good,” which I can only guess gathers sonically-pleasing poems.
I didn’t buy it, but I almost did, and left the shop convinced I must finally get a collection of Sappho....
Some links for your pleasure:
On Roofs of Terry Street - http://voodoobunkbed.blogspot.de/2012...
Captain Lavender - http://wfupress.wfu.edu/catalog.php?p...
Lust - http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/...
Many of these poems were well-worn ground, but there were surprises and discoveries, also from well-known poets, Sylvia Plath’s “The Hanging Man,” for example, which I can’t say I’ve read before. I also liked Glyn Maxwell’s “Lust,” Douglas Dunn’s “On Roofs of Terry Street,” Louis Macneice’s “The Brandy Glass,” and Edwin Morgan’s “Siesta of a Hungarian Snake.” I was also happy to find Medbh McGuckian’s gorgeous “Captain Lavender,” which I’ve loved for years. She is out of this world.
On the could-have-done-without-it side, if I have to read Wm. Carlos Williams’ “This is Just to Say” ever again I will literally scream. I promise.
A number of poets had more than one poem, including Stevie Smith, James Tate, and Robert Frost. Very anglo, too, now that I think of it, though there was a (very good) Tomas Salamun poem, too.
My one quibble is the book bills itself as a collection of “very short” poems, but 12-13 lines to me is not very short. Very short starts at about seven lines, in my opinion. And the lines of some of the 12-line poems were also so long that they wrapped. (Lost a star for this quibble, book!)
This book is part of a Faber series that also includes a collection of humorous poems, one of easy-to-memorize poems (?), and another called “Sounds Good,” which I can only guess gathers sonically-pleasing poems.
I didn’t buy it, but I almost did, and left the shop convinced I must finally get a collection of Sappho....
Some links for your pleasure:
On Roofs of Terry Street - http://voodoobunkbed.blogspot.de/2012...
Captain Lavender - http://wfupress.wfu.edu/catalog.php?p...
Lust - http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/...
June 29, 2014
I loved this anthology of poems no longer than thirteen lines. I loved Simon Armitage's funny but important introduction which said a lot of things about poetry that I've felt before but never seen written. I love the way he has put the collection together starting with the longest and working through until the final poem of no lines at all beyond its title... and then the collectively authored titleless, wordless but meaningful pause that comes as the book is closed with a sigh of satisfaction.
December 15, 2013
I find it hard to rate poetry anthologies, as it's rare that I like every poem in them.
I've given this 4 because I like the idea of collecting short poems (in this case the maximum is 13 lines, just short of the sonnet). There is a good mix of the familiar and the unfamiliar (I have jotted four new-to-me poems in my notebook) and I enjoyed Armitage's introduction, which was interesting and amusing ('I felt a strong obligation to include at least one haiku, and for that reason have not done so.')
I've given this 4 because I like the idea of collecting short poems (in this case the maximum is 13 lines, just short of the sonnet). There is a good mix of the familiar and the unfamiliar (I have jotted four new-to-me poems in my notebook) and I enjoyed Armitage's introduction, which was interesting and amusing ('I felt a strong obligation to include at least one haiku, and for that reason have not done so.')
February 17, 2011
I bought this book a while ago from a bookshop in Oxford. It is perfect for dipping into, and I do so, often. No poem is more than 13 lines long and the poets (and the poems) are wide and varied, from William Wordsworth and Thomas Hardy, to Stevie Smith and Sylvia Plath. The introduction by Simon Armitage is funny and entertaining and it is a lovely addition to any bookshelf.
January 15, 2014
A fantastic choice for those perhaps new (or simply dense like myself) when it comes to poetry. Lots of different subject matter covered and tone from the humorous to the heart-breaking. A lovely little treat.
June 15, 2015
Mixture of poems old and modern. Some familiar but most not. Enjoyed the way the poems got shorter as the book neared the end. Must admit I really liked the shortest ones best and some were very clever. Lots to think about.
August 8, 2011
Every one's a gem, easy to remember yet profound and often humourous nonetheless, especially the last poem.
November 28, 2012
Shame he dies in the end.
January 3, 2013
"TO A FRIEND IN SEARCH OF RURAL SECLUSION
When all else fails,
Try Wales."
When all else fails,
Try Wales."
November 14, 2013
Some very good poems - the temptation is to read too many at a sitting
October 7, 2013
Short book of little poems. Some real gems like Causely's I am the song and Larkin's The winter palace.
March 31, 2014
This collection I read in a morning and was alright but only a couple really stood out to me-Loveliest of Trees, the Cherry Now by A E Housman and I Am the Song by Charles Causley
May 24, 2015
Collection of poems you can dip into. Really varied styles. All have brevity in common.
September 29, 2021
"Short and sweet", un título a medida para esta recopilación de poesía de grandes poetas. Es una lectura ideal para picotear de la lírica global y conocer autores.
La introducción nos presenta el objetivo principal del editor: agrupar poemas cortos (de hasta 13 versos) en una obra. Los autores son totalmente variados y han sido ordenados según el número de versos en modo decreciente, siendo el último de todos un escrito que se compone tan solo de un título.
La calidad artística que recoge este ejemplar es sublime, dejándote con ganas de leer más. Es obvio que seguramente no todos los poemas lleguen a entusiasmar al lector e, incluso, alguno no producirá emoción alguna. Al fin y al cabo, envuelve una enorme variedad elegida subjetivamente por una persona. En parte, es precisamente en ello donde se encuentra la gracia. Puede que haya poemas que no signifiquen nada para una persona y que ocurra al contrario con otra.
Por otro lado, se debe resaltar que algunos poemas utilizan vocabulario complicado y estructuras arcaicas del inglés. No recomendaría el libro a alguien que no tuviera un nivel avanzado de esta lengua.
Como conclusión, es un aperitivo con el que saciar parcialmente el hambre de poesía, pero que necesita de una profundización posterior en los autores que más te hayan gustado.
La introducción nos presenta el objetivo principal del editor: agrupar poemas cortos (de hasta 13 versos) en una obra. Los autores son totalmente variados y han sido ordenados según el número de versos en modo decreciente, siendo el último de todos un escrito que se compone tan solo de un título.
La calidad artística que recoge este ejemplar es sublime, dejándote con ganas de leer más. Es obvio que seguramente no todos los poemas lleguen a entusiasmar al lector e, incluso, alguno no producirá emoción alguna. Al fin y al cabo, envuelve una enorme variedad elegida subjetivamente por una persona. En parte, es precisamente en ello donde se encuentra la gracia. Puede que haya poemas que no signifiquen nada para una persona y que ocurra al contrario con otra.
Por otro lado, se debe resaltar que algunos poemas utilizan vocabulario complicado y estructuras arcaicas del inglés. No recomendaría el libro a alguien que no tuviera un nivel avanzado de esta lengua.
Como conclusión, es un aperitivo con el que saciar parcialmente el hambre de poesía, pero que necesita de una profundización posterior en los autores que más te hayan gustado.
August 27, 2019
I was starting to worry that I like the introductions to these anthologies better than the poetry. However, in a twist, I really enjoyed this collection and the introduction was a tiny bit pretentious for me. Simon Armitage does make some good points though and has some unique definitions surrounding poetry. I still don't know if he was trying to be comedic or... just an pretentious ass the whole time. Which all made for an interesting collection of poems that I will definitely revisit in the future.
April 4, 2017
I first got a copy of this book when I was about 15 or 16 and my concentration for poetry was not at its peak! Over the years I added to the illustrations already in this book as it was one which I consistently went back to.
I lost my copy at some point over the last 5 years but got a new one recently, it was great to see again printed on the page what I have retained in my mind over the years. Some of the poems in this little book are like old friends.
Favourites then:
Sylvia Plath - The Hangman
George Barker - Epitaph for the Poet
Favourites now:
Emily Bronte - Spellbound
Ruth Pitter - Sinking
The melancholy teen in me prevails! But also..
Ian Hamilton Finlay - Catch
I lost my copy at some point over the last 5 years but got a new one recently, it was great to see again printed on the page what I have retained in my mind over the years. Some of the poems in this little book are like old friends.
Favourites then:
Sylvia Plath - The Hangman
George Barker - Epitaph for the Poet
Favourites now:
Emily Bronte - Spellbound
Ruth Pitter - Sinking
The melancholy teen in me prevails! But also..
Ian Hamilton Finlay - Catch
May 14, 2017
Brief poetry with depth is often an odd in-between when thinking about writing. Armitage explores this wonderfully with some real heavy-hitting but slight poems that the reader is familiar with, many that they are likely not and with some humourous interludes along the way. Although the collection is short, it is very strong and made reading hugely enjoyable. It probably also slowed down my reading of each so that I took time to really pick each apart mentally. The order, from longest to shortest, was also somewhat strangely pleasing. Would recommend!
August 17, 2017
Reflects all the wit of the editor, Simon Armitage has collected the short, shorter and shortest best to delight all who pick up and read this anthology. Writing with brevity sometimes the hardest skill illustrated here...
April 4, 2016
Amazing how one can say so much with so little.
June 30, 2017
Good range of poems. Shows how much you can do within tight parameters.
September 3, 2017
Poetry at it's best - curt, to the point but yet still powerful.
February 27, 2021
One of a series of short poetry collections that Faber produced in the 1990s, this one features a good introduction by the anthologist (and poet well-known in the UK) Simon Armitage, discussing and justifying the short poem:
"The short poem, at its best, brings about an almost instantaneous surge of both understanding and sensation unavailable elsewhere; its effect should not be underestimated and its design not confused with convenience."
Of course I love them, they are my children.
This is my daughter and this my son.
And this is my life I give them to please them.
It has never been used. Keep it safe. Pass it on.
- The Mother, by Anne Stevenson
Armitage defines the short poem as no more than 13 lines, thereby ruling out the sonnet as something more than short. Other people define it in other ways: the Shot Glass Journal publishes anything up to 16 lines under its "Brevity is the soul of wit" motto, while another of my favourite collections of verse defines the short poem as 'Eight Lines or Less'. There is no agreed definition of "short poem". And as Armitage shows, in 13 lines you can still cover a lot of ground.
She lay a long time as he found her,
Half on her side, askew, her cheek pressed to the floor.
He sat at the table there and watched,
His mind sometimes all over the place,
And then asking over and over
If she were dead: 'Are you dead, Poll, are you dead?'
For these hours, each one dressed in its figure
On the mantelpiece, love sits with him.
Habit, mutuality, sweetheartedness,
Drop through his body,
And he is not able now to touch her--
A bar of daylight, no more than
Across a table, flows between them.
- As He Found Her, by Jeffrey Wainwright
Some of the poems in the collection were new to me, including both the above. Some of the poems are extremely well-known but always a joy to read: Yeats' 'The Lake Isle of Innisfree', William Carlos Williams' 'This is Just to Say'. And others hover half-known:
Where is the grave of Sir Arthur O'Kellyn?
Where may the grave of that good man be?
By the side of a spring, on the breast of Helvellyn,
Under the twigs of a young birch tree!
The oak that in summer was sweet to hear,
And rustled its leaves in the fall of the year,
And whistled and roared in the winter alone,
Is gone, -- and the birch in its stead is grown. --
The Knight's bones are dust,
And his good sword is rust; --
His soul is with the saints, I trust.
- The Knight's Tomb, by Coleridge
The poems get shorter and shorter as you read on, but without losing their punch--perhaps, as the introduction suggests, condensing their power.
Shakespearean fish swam the sea, far away from land;
Romantic fish swam in nets, coming to the hand;
What are all those fish that lie gasping on the strand?
- Three Movements, by Yeats
... all the way down to the final poem with no text at all, but only its title:
- On Going to Meet a Zen Master in the Kyushu Mountains and Not Finding Him, by Don Paterson.
Most but not all of the 101 poems are formal; most are originally in English, though there are a few translations: Paz, Sappho, Apollinaire, Salamun and - most surprising in its elegant translation - this one, 'Bodybuilders' Contest':
From scalp to sole, all muscles in slow motion,
The ocean of his torso drips with lotion.
The king of all is he who preens and wrestles
with sinews twisted into monstrous pretzels.
Onstage, he grapples with a grizzly bear
the deadlier for not really being there.
Three unseen panthers are in turn laid low,
each with one smoothly choreographed blow.
He grunts while showing his poses and paces.
His back alone has twenty different faces.
The mammoth fist he raises as he wins
is tribute to the force of vitamins.
- Bodybuilders' Contest, by Wislawa Szymborska.
Altogether an excellent and well-rounded collection.
"The short poem, at its best, brings about an almost instantaneous surge of both understanding and sensation unavailable elsewhere; its effect should not be underestimated and its design not confused with convenience."
Of course I love them, they are my children.
This is my daughter and this my son.
And this is my life I give them to please them.
It has never been used. Keep it safe. Pass it on.
- The Mother, by Anne Stevenson
Armitage defines the short poem as no more than 13 lines, thereby ruling out the sonnet as something more than short. Other people define it in other ways: the Shot Glass Journal publishes anything up to 16 lines under its "Brevity is the soul of wit" motto, while another of my favourite collections of verse defines the short poem as 'Eight Lines or Less'. There is no agreed definition of "short poem". And as Armitage shows, in 13 lines you can still cover a lot of ground.
She lay a long time as he found her,
Half on her side, askew, her cheek pressed to the floor.
He sat at the table there and watched,
His mind sometimes all over the place,
And then asking over and over
If she were dead: 'Are you dead, Poll, are you dead?'
For these hours, each one dressed in its figure
On the mantelpiece, love sits with him.
Habit, mutuality, sweetheartedness,
Drop through his body,
And he is not able now to touch her--
A bar of daylight, no more than
Across a table, flows between them.
- As He Found Her, by Jeffrey Wainwright
Some of the poems in the collection were new to me, including both the above. Some of the poems are extremely well-known but always a joy to read: Yeats' 'The Lake Isle of Innisfree', William Carlos Williams' 'This is Just to Say'. And others hover half-known:
Where is the grave of Sir Arthur O'Kellyn?
Where may the grave of that good man be?
By the side of a spring, on the breast of Helvellyn,
Under the twigs of a young birch tree!
The oak that in summer was sweet to hear,
And rustled its leaves in the fall of the year,
And whistled and roared in the winter alone,
Is gone, -- and the birch in its stead is grown. --
The Knight's bones are dust,
And his good sword is rust; --
His soul is with the saints, I trust.
- The Knight's Tomb, by Coleridge
The poems get shorter and shorter as you read on, but without losing their punch--perhaps, as the introduction suggests, condensing their power.
Shakespearean fish swam the sea, far away from land;
Romantic fish swam in nets, coming to the hand;
What are all those fish that lie gasping on the strand?
- Three Movements, by Yeats
... all the way down to the final poem with no text at all, but only its title:
- On Going to Meet a Zen Master in the Kyushu Mountains and Not Finding Him, by Don Paterson.
Most but not all of the 101 poems are formal; most are originally in English, though there are a few translations: Paz, Sappho, Apollinaire, Salamun and - most surprising in its elegant translation - this one, 'Bodybuilders' Contest':
From scalp to sole, all muscles in slow motion,
The ocean of his torso drips with lotion.
The king of all is he who preens and wrestles
with sinews twisted into monstrous pretzels.
Onstage, he grapples with a grizzly bear
the deadlier for not really being there.
Three unseen panthers are in turn laid low,
each with one smoothly choreographed blow.
He grunts while showing his poses and paces.
His back alone has twenty different faces.
The mammoth fist he raises as he wins
is tribute to the force of vitamins.
- Bodybuilders' Contest, by Wislawa Szymborska.
Altogether an excellent and well-rounded collection.
July 27, 2022
The poems in this collection are organised from the longest - at about half a page - through to the shortest of a single line. So despite taking one’s time, the collection does get faster towards the end.
I was particularly taken by the opportunity to consider the variety of form and structure, the use rhythm and metre, all in the economy of these poems.
As with any anthology, it’s a great way to explore the unifying team and to be introduced to a variety of different poets: Peter Redgrove, Stanley Cook, Ruth Peter, Charles Causley, Douglas Dunn, and Stevie Smith just a name a few that grabbed my attention along the way.
I was particularly taken by the opportunity to consider the variety of form and structure, the use rhythm and metre, all in the economy of these poems.
As with any anthology, it’s a great way to explore the unifying team and to be introduced to a variety of different poets: Peter Redgrove, Stanley Cook, Ruth Peter, Charles Causley, Douglas Dunn, and Stevie Smith just a name a few that grabbed my attention along the way.
July 26, 2021
I absolutely loved this book! I simply don’t know enough about poetry in English to comment if it’s a good representation. But it felt like it did. Loved Simon Armitage’s intro, too. This is one I’d buy and give as a gift!
February 19, 2022
Faves:
- He resigns, John Berryman
- Flowers, Wendy Cope (ofc!)
- The Winter Palace, Philip Larkin
- This is just to say, William Carlos Williams
- Sleeping at last, Christina Rossetti
- Fire and ice, Robert Frost
- The Hanging man, Sylvia Plath
- He resigns, John Berryman
- Flowers, Wendy Cope (ofc!)
- The Winter Palace, Philip Larkin
- This is just to say, William Carlos Williams
- Sleeping at last, Christina Rossetti
- Fire and ice, Robert Frost
- The Hanging man, Sylvia Plath
December 26, 2024
Bardzo ciekawy zbiór krótkich wierszy (najdłuższy ma tylko 13 wersów). Część trudno się czytało po angielsku, bo jednak kompetencje językowe nie te, ale starałam się :) Z ciekawostek: najkrótszy wiersz ma tutaj zero wersów :D Ogólnie - polecam.
December 6, 2018
Brevity is, indeed, the soul of wit.
Both incidental and profound, this collection highlights the skill of poets who convey so much with so little.
Both incidental and profound, this collection highlights the skill of poets who convey so much with so little.
February 27, 2019
A mixed collection of 13-line or shorter poems. Bit gimmicky but some treats in here. My favourite was by Anne Stevenson. Had read a few before but some nice new discoveries amongst them.
May 17, 2019
I'll keep this short:
It's sweet.
It's sweet.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews