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Poetry #7
Going Out With Peacocks and Other Poems
A warm, funny, and eloquent collection of poems by the celebrated author of Always Coming Home and The Language of the Night.
96 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1994
About the author
Ursula K. Le Guin
1,051 books32.5k followersUrsula K. Le Guin published twenty-two novels, eleven volumes of short stories, four collections of essays, twelve books for children, six volumes of poetry and four of translation, and has received many awards: Hugo, Nebula, National Book Award, PEN-Malamud, etc. Her recent publications include the novel Lavinia, an essay collection, Cheek by Jowl, and The Wild Girls. She lived in Portland, Oregon.
She was known for her treatment of gender (The Left Hand of Darkness, The Matter of Seggri), political systems (The Telling, The Dispossessed) and difference/otherness in any other form. Her interest in non-Western philosophies was reflected in works such as "Solitude" and The Telling but even more interesting are her imagined societies, often mixing traits extracted from her profound knowledge of anthropology acquired from growing up with her father, the famous anthropologist, Alfred Kroeber. The Hainish Cycle reflects the anthropologist's experience of immersing themselves in new strange cultures since most of their main characters and narrators (Le Guin favoured the first-person narration) are envoys from a humanitarian organization, the Ekumen, sent to investigate or ally themselves with the people of a different world and learn their ways.
She was known for her treatment of gender (The Left Hand of Darkness, The Matter of Seggri), political systems (The Telling, The Dispossessed) and difference/otherness in any other form. Her interest in non-Western philosophies was reflected in works such as "Solitude" and The Telling but even more interesting are her imagined societies, often mixing traits extracted from her profound knowledge of anthropology acquired from growing up with her father, the famous anthropologist, Alfred Kroeber. The Hainish Cycle reflects the anthropologist's experience of immersing themselves in new strange cultures since most of their main characters and narrators (Le Guin favoured the first-person narration) are envoys from a humanitarian organization, the Ekumen, sent to investigate or ally themselves with the people of a different world and learn their ways.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
January 19, 2018
"Ah! anne, bir şarkı söylesem yıkılır bütün duvarlar."
"Nerde kararır sular,
akşam iner, nerde
nerde silinir tüm sesler?"
"Budur hayat diye
şarkı söylüyordu arp çalan kız
iki karanlık arasında kısacık bir an."
Ursula K. Le Guin şiirlerini daha önce kısa kısa okumuştum ama toplu halini ilk defa elime adım. Tüm şiirlere bayıldım diyemeyeceğim, bununla birlikte çok sevdiğim bir yazarın farklı türdeki eserini okumak harika bir deneyim oldu. Yazarı sevenler mutlaka okumalı. Tek bir satırından öyle etkileniyorsunuz ki şiir sizi alıp Yerdeniz'in korusuna götürüyor.
"Nerde kararır sular,
akşam iner, nerde
nerde silinir tüm sesler?"
"Budur hayat diye
şarkı söylüyordu arp çalan kız
iki karanlık arasında kısacık bir an."
Ursula K. Le Guin şiirlerini daha önce kısa kısa okumuştum ama toplu halini ilk defa elime adım. Tüm şiirlere bayıldım diyemeyeceğim, bununla birlikte çok sevdiğim bir yazarın farklı türdeki eserini okumak harika bir deneyim oldu. Yazarı sevenler mutlaka okumalı. Tek bir satırından öyle etkileniyorsunuz ki şiir sizi alıp Yerdeniz'in korusuna götürüyor.
April 6, 2018
Taşlara, ağaçlara, nehirlere, kargalara, atlara ve doğanın barındırdığı pek çok şeye şiirler yazmış Ursula K. Le Guin. Ona göre her toprak kutsaldır ve bu şiirler belki de Ursula'nın toprağı kutsama biçimi; doğaya sarılma halidir. Belki de bu şiirler benim için, bir Tanrı kuşuna dönüşen Ursula'ya sarılma bahanemdir.
June 24, 2022
"Bir nefes alıyorum tekil bir nefes.
Bir an için ağzımda özgürlüğün tadı.
Başlıyor dans, es rüzgar es,
gibiyim söğüt dalında bir söğüt yaprağı."
🌟
Bir an için ağzımda özgürlüğün tadı.
Başlıyor dans, es rüzgar es,
gibiyim söğüt dalında bir söğüt yaprağı."
🌟
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October 29, 2020Şiirler başka bir dile çevrilince eksiliyorlar sanki...
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September 27, 2018Ursula K. Le Guin dümenini düşünceleri, eserleri, sözleri ve söylemlerinin çoktan ulaştığı sonsuzluğa doğru kırdı. Dümenimizi yaratıcı yazarlığa, bilimkurguya, fantastik kurguya, hayal kurmaya, insanlığa, kadınlığa, yaşamaya, özgürlüğe, gerçekliğe, sevmeye kırabilmemiz içinse rotalar bıraktı.
Biliyorum, “kaptan” dedim. Biliyorum, erkeklerin egemenliğindeki sularda geziyorum. İşte tam da yazımızda Kraliçeye yaraşır bir başlangıç yapmanın peşindeyim; çünkü o, kadının birey olarak kabulünden önce doğduğunu, tam da bu sözleriyle ilan etti. Ve Virginia Woolf’un o sözünü hatırlattı: “Gerçek mesele cinsiyetin çok ötesindedir.”
Le Guin’in büyüklüğünden bahsetmenin beyhude bir çaba olacağını biliyorum ve tüm meziyetlerinin tek bir yazıda anlatılamayacağını da öyle! Sadece ülkemizde pek bilinmeyen bir yönüyle onu anmak istiyorum: Şairliğiyle.
Gelin hep birlikte Tanrı Kuşlarıyla Buluşmak adına dümenlerimizi o ritmin ve ahengin adasına, Kraliçemizin adasına doğru kıralım. Ve gemilerimizi, takalarımızı, sandallarımızı yazarın adasındaki on üç iskeleden, yani şiir kitaplarından oluşan Şiir Rıhtımı’na demirleyelim. Ve unutmayalım: Bu rıhtımda ona muhakkak ki şair dememiz gerekiyor.
- Mustafa İzmirli
İncelemenin tamamı için: https://kayiprihtim.com/inceleme/tanr...
Biliyorum, “kaptan” dedim. Biliyorum, erkeklerin egemenliğindeki sularda geziyorum. İşte tam da yazımızda Kraliçeye yaraşır bir başlangıç yapmanın peşindeyim; çünkü o, kadının birey olarak kabulünden önce doğduğunu, tam da bu sözleriyle ilan etti. Ve Virginia Woolf’un o sözünü hatırlattı: “Gerçek mesele cinsiyetin çok ötesindedir.”
Le Guin’in büyüklüğünden bahsetmenin beyhude bir çaba olacağını biliyorum ve tüm meziyetlerinin tek bir yazıda anlatılamayacağını da öyle! Sadece ülkemizde pek bilinmeyen bir yönüyle onu anmak istiyorum: Şairliğiyle.
Gelin hep birlikte Tanrı Kuşlarıyla Buluşmak adına dümenlerimizi o ritmin ve ahengin adasına, Kraliçemizin adasına doğru kıralım. Ve gemilerimizi, takalarımızı, sandallarımızı yazarın adasındaki on üç iskeleden, yani şiir kitaplarından oluşan Şiir Rıhtımı’na demirleyelim. Ve unutmayalım: Bu rıhtımda ona muhakkak ki şair dememiz gerekiyor.
- Mustafa İzmirli
İncelemenin tamamı için: https://kayiprihtim.com/inceleme/tanr...
June 12, 2019
Superb! One of my favourite collections I have read of hers. I had read some of the poems in her selected works but this is just incredible. The opening poems, "Three McKenzie River Poems" were so beautiful I actually teared up.
June 29, 2020
“Ağlama artık tuz kadın
Değmez bu hayat gözyaşlarına”
Değmez bu hayat gözyaşlarına”
February 3, 2018
Sayfa 127
Atın Yaratılışı
Tuz Yeşili Tanrı, Depremlerin Babası,
bir yaratık düşledi kasları deniz gibi kabaran,
dalgalar gibi kıyılar boyunca sıçrayan,
dalgalar gibi nallarıyla dünyaya vuran.
Bu yüzden dürttü ürkek bir adayı üç uçlu zıpkınıyla,
ve sonra geri çekildi şaşırarak
o şaha kalkan öfkeye, o uçan beyaz yeleye
köpükler saçan böğrüne ve dünya karası gözlerine.
_________
Ursula K. Le Guin! Seni çok özleyeceğim...
Atın Yaratılışı
Tuz Yeşili Tanrı, Depremlerin Babası,
bir yaratık düşledi kasları deniz gibi kabaran,
dalgalar gibi kıyılar boyunca sıçrayan,
dalgalar gibi nallarıyla dünyaya vuran.
Bu yüzden dürttü ürkek bir adayı üç uçlu zıpkınıyla,
ve sonra geri çekildi şaşırarak
o şaha kalkan öfkeye, o uçan beyaz yeleye
köpükler saçan böğrüne ve dünya karası gözlerine.
_________
Ursula K. Le Guin! Seni çok özleyeceğim...
March 3, 2018
Kendi dilinde yazılmış en güzel şiir bile farklı dile çevrilince anlamını ve müziğini yitiriyor. Birkaçı dışında bunlar da öyle olmuş biraz. Yine de Ursulamıza bir vefa borcudur, okunmalı, kapak da öyle güzel ki...
June 24, 2025
“Her zaman yeni bir ses için yer vardır.” unutmamak icin... hatirlamak icin daima.
July 30, 2018
Önsöz ve şiirler (özellikle s. 48, 51, 93, 106, 112, 126, 139) harikaydı. Tavsiye ederim.
April 25, 2026
As I've mentioned in other reviews, I tend to like the poetic nature of Le Guin's prose, but not the prosaic nature of some of her poetry. That said, I enjoyed this collection more than several of the others, perhaps because I have become accustomed to her style and themes, or perhaps because she has organized these poems so well within the book. Or maybe they're just better pieces.
The collection is separated into four parts, the first of which deals with natural phenomenon and places. These poems featured odes and paeans to particular waterfalls, coastal locations, and animals and are . . . fine.
The second section, the strongest in the book, is called "Fury and Sorrow" and deals with the things that stir up Le Guin's prophetic imagination and righteous indignation. Here we have poems that decry gendered violence ("Cry No More"), political violence ("The Hands of Torturers"), the loss of idealism ("Processing Words"), and the grief of aging ("Werewomen"). These poems are prickly, sticky, and will wedge themselves in your throat like a crumb you can't wash down. They are difficult, raw, honest cries of rage and pain. I liked their honesty.
The third section features poems written for or about people that Le Guin knows. They are fine poems, I suppose, but without knowing the context of them, they fall a little flatter for me. The final section, "Dancing on the Sun," leans into themes that feel more mystical or abstract. Here, Le Guin further muses on aging, the cycle of life and death, injustices, and the transcendence we all want to believe in, but of which we may be legitimately skeptical. Several of these poems are memorable, including "Getting On" and "The Hard Dancing" among others. They speak of a writer who wrestles with the desire to know what she knows now, in the body of a younger woman. There is also a sense though that she has come to some level of acceptance of herself, making peace with her own person.
I doubt I will ever think of Le Guin as a poet, first and foremost. But she was a visionary, and these scraps of writing, gathered in small bundles, like sheaves of grain, give us some insight into how she saw the world and navigated through it.
The collection is separated into four parts, the first of which deals with natural phenomenon and places. These poems featured odes and paeans to particular waterfalls, coastal locations, and animals and are . . . fine.
The second section, the strongest in the book, is called "Fury and Sorrow" and deals with the things that stir up Le Guin's prophetic imagination and righteous indignation. Here we have poems that decry gendered violence ("Cry No More"), political violence ("The Hands of Torturers"), the loss of idealism ("Processing Words"), and the grief of aging ("Werewomen"). These poems are prickly, sticky, and will wedge themselves in your throat like a crumb you can't wash down. They are difficult, raw, honest cries of rage and pain. I liked their honesty.
The third section features poems written for or about people that Le Guin knows. They are fine poems, I suppose, but without knowing the context of them, they fall a little flatter for me. The final section, "Dancing on the Sun," leans into themes that feel more mystical or abstract. Here, Le Guin further muses on aging, the cycle of life and death, injustices, and the transcendence we all want to believe in, but of which we may be legitimately skeptical. Several of these poems are memorable, including "Getting On" and "The Hard Dancing" among others. They speak of a writer who wrestles with the desire to know what she knows now, in the body of a younger woman. There is also a sense though that she has come to some level of acceptance of herself, making peace with her own person.
I doubt I will ever think of Le Guin as a poet, first and foremost. But she was a visionary, and these scraps of writing, gathered in small bundles, like sheaves of grain, give us some insight into how she saw the world and navigated through it.
January 20, 2019
Another first time read for a particular author, I found Ursula K. Le Guin's style to be a rather enjoyable, and truly from the author's heart. The personal and the public blend well, and finds a common connection or bond with the reader despite their background. We all know love, pain, grief, and renewal. She is wise enough to articulate some of the confusion for us.
Out of the four sections of the collection, "Fury and Sorrow" and "Kin and Kind" were the best. There was a piece on Women's Writing from China that was highly intriguing, as well as poems dedicated to close members of her family that would and could be applied to the special people in our own lives.
Some might not prefer her work over other authors/poets, and some might prefer her over others, either way she is worthy of the praise that continues to follow her body of work and name.
Out of the four sections of the collection, "Fury and Sorrow" and "Kin and Kind" were the best. There was a piece on Women's Writing from China that was highly intriguing, as well as poems dedicated to close members of her family that would and could be applied to the special people in our own lives.
Some might not prefer her work over other authors/poets, and some might prefer her over others, either way she is worthy of the praise that continues to follow her body of work and name.
September 27, 2020
"Uyudun mu? Yatıyoruz yan yana
karanlıkta dinleyerek yağmuru
Sormak istiyorum sana,
neden her şey bu kadar tuhaf?
Rüyamda karanlık yıkıntılar
kara topraklar.
Her karışını dolaştığım uzaklar.
Yanımda yatıyorsun
her zaman olduğu gibi.
Ama her şey hiç durmadan değişiyor.
Sen misin yoksa yağmur mu
bu ağlayan?
Rahat uyu aşkım. Tehlikede değiliz artık."
2018'den beri okumaya niyetlendiğim bu kitabı ancak bu zamanda okuma fırsatı bulabildim.Maalesef ki bazı şeyler türkçeye çevrilince anlamını kaybetmiş doğal olarak. Bu kitapla beraber her şiirin kendi dilinde okunması gerektiğini ,sonunda, anladım. Fakat buna rağmen çokça altını çizdiğim kısımlar oldu, sevdiğimi inkar edemeyeceğim.
karanlıkta dinleyerek yağmuru
Sormak istiyorum sana,
neden her şey bu kadar tuhaf?
Rüyamda karanlık yıkıntılar
kara topraklar.
Her karışını dolaştığım uzaklar.
Yanımda yatıyorsun
her zaman olduğu gibi.
Ama her şey hiç durmadan değişiyor.
Sen misin yoksa yağmur mu
bu ağlayan?
Rahat uyu aşkım. Tehlikede değiliz artık."
2018'den beri okumaya niyetlendiğim bu kitabı ancak bu zamanda okuma fırsatı bulabildim.Maalesef ki bazı şeyler türkçeye çevrilince anlamını kaybetmiş doğal olarak. Bu kitapla beraber her şiirin kendi dilinde okunması gerektiğini ,sonunda, anladım. Fakat buna rağmen çokça altını çizdiğim kısımlar oldu, sevdiğimi inkar edemeyeceğim.
January 21, 2018
Christmas gift a few years ago, from Patrick. When I first started reading these, I loved them. Sleeping with Cats, From Lorenzo - "I climb myself and fly away." Then the poems get more political and although I agreed with the sentiment, I didn't care for them so much. But I did like the Fragments from Women's Writing, about a secret Chinese written language, used exclusively by women.
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March 28, 2018So many amazing poems in this collection, like "Werewomen," "Fragments from the Women's Writing," "The Woman and the Soul," and "The Red Dancers."
From "Waking":
"In the gray cocoon of light the mind /
finds metamorphosis, /
makes from the wreck of what she was /
the wings of what she is."
From "Waking":
"In the gray cocoon of light the mind /
finds metamorphosis, /
makes from the wreck of what she was /
the wings of what she is."
September 22, 2018
Ursula K. Le Guin'in yazamadığı herhangi bir edebi tür var mıydı acaba? Bu şiir kitabını tek nefeste okudum ve "Kızım için Bir Şarkı" adlı şiiri hem anneme hem de kız çocuğu olan ablama gönderip küçük bir aile geleneği başlatmayı düşünüyorum. Anneden kızına, kızından kızına...
Beni çok etkileyen bir diğer şiir ise "Ağrıyan Boşluk" oldu. Kesilen ağacın yerini dolduran ağrıyan bir boşluk...
Beni çok etkileyen bir diğer şiir ise "Ağrıyan Boşluk" oldu. Kesilen ağacın yerini dolduran ağrıyan bir boşluk...
August 2, 2022
Worth another read. Some great poems: Three McKenzie River poems, Looking for proxy falls, Werewomen, Her silent daughter.
Fragments from the Women’s writing is especially good fiction. The woman and the soul or For Elisabeth are my favorites.
Fragments from the Women’s writing is especially good fiction. The woman and the soul or For Elisabeth are my favorites.
September 26, 2022
This was wonderful, as expected. My favorites were “Keeping Rocks,” “Processing Words” (probably my favorite in the collection), and “My Music.” “Her Silent Daughter,” dedicated to Tawana Brawley, was eye opening.
July 30, 2023
I saw white pelicans rise
from the waters of morning
I in the wide valley, going.
I saw trees white with snow
rise silent from clouds
in the deep mountains, returning.
Heavy, noble, solemn the gesture
of the wings, the branches,
a white writing on destruction.
from the waters of morning
I in the wide valley, going.
I saw trees white with snow
rise silent from clouds
in the deep mountains, returning.
Heavy, noble, solemn the gesture
of the wings, the branches,
a white writing on destruction.
August 31, 2024
Just beautiful. The flow from one poem to another, especially when read within the framework of the section in which they are placed is simply enhancing. Two of my favorite poems by Le Guin can be found in this book, "Keeping Rocks" and "Song for Elisabeth".
January 10, 2019
I love Le Guin, I have read several of her novels, but I am only recently coming across her poetry. Is there anything this lady can’t do??
March 17, 2019
Before seeing this I had no idea that Le Guin had also published poetry. Now I want to read them all.
January 29, 2024
I enjoyed quite a few of these poems and one made me cry.
July 22, 2025
heavy 4.5
one of the best poetry collections, perhaps my favorite, through this point in her life.
one of the best poetry collections, perhaps my favorite, through this point in her life.
May 22, 2026
I loved the more personal poems.
December 17, 2016
never knew what to expect from the next poem; a mix of nature observation, the personal, social commentary, and of course myth & the elemental.
faves: werewomen ("What is that, a free woman, / a young free woman, / an old free woman? / Asking for the moon."); for judith ("But it's a soft word, Judith! / If you said a word for its softness, / you might say billowy, / or valley floor, or lesbian."); the years; the woman and the soul; "Sunt lacrimae rerum" ("And the wind, the wind!"); my music ("I will drum the roar till I break the drumhead. / I will sing shrill till the fire's dead."); the hard dancing.
faves: werewomen ("What is that, a free woman, / a young free woman, / an old free woman? / Asking for the moon."); for judith ("But it's a soft word, Judith! / If you said a word for its softness, / you might say billowy, / or valley floor, or lesbian."); the years; the woman and the soul; "Sunt lacrimae rerum" ("And the wind, the wind!"); my music ("I will drum the roar till I break the drumhead. / I will sing shrill till the fire's dead."); the hard dancing.
October 8, 2013
Le Guin's poems are caustic, joyful, and thoughtful, and sometimes all three at once. It's no secret Le Guin is one of the greatest writers to ever live, yet I still found myself gasping at verses that make her points painfully clear.
The poem "Cry No More" brought me to tears with its vision of a world where the names of women lost to domestic violence are remembered like the names of soldiers because violence against women is, as Le Guin calls it, "the long war."
The poem "Cry No More" brought me to tears with its vision of a world where the names of women lost to domestic violence are remembered like the names of soldiers because violence against women is, as Le Guin calls it, "the long war."
June 21, 2016
This book started out great and showed me a voice of Ursula LeGuin’s I have not heard before—insightful, lyrical, shamanic. It is written in three sections, and I found the middle section less engaging, but the third section even better than the first. I wish I could have met her. She is the kind of writer I would have liked to try writing with.
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