Thu, 17 Oct 2024 04:26:51 GMT
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With a new introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Stephen Dunn, this redesigned and fully reset edition of Complete Poems collects and presents all the poems published or designated for publication by E.E. Cummings in his lifetime.
Chapter 1: Early Poems (1904-1912)
* "A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal" (1810): A poignant meditation on the loss of a loved one, using vivid imagery of a slumber that "seals" the speaker's spirit.
* "My Heart Leaps Up" (1802): A joyful ode to the power of nature, evoking the childhood delight of leaping for joy at the sight of a rainbow.
Chapter 2: Lyrical Ballads (1798)
* "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (1798): A haunting ballad that follows a sailor's fateful encounter with an albatross, leading to a series of supernatural punishments.
* "Tintern Abbey" (1798): A meditative poem that explores the interconnectedness of nature and human experience, reflecting on the speaker's childhood memories and the passage of time.
Chapter 3: Poems of Nature and Imagination (1798-1802)
* "Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood" (1807): A philosophical poem that grapples with the loss of childhood wonder and the joys of adulthood.
* "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" (1807): A simple yet evocative poem that captures the beauty of a field of daffodils, evoking feelings of joy and solitude.
Chapter 4: The Prelude (1805-1806)
* "The Prelude" (1850): A semi-autobiographical poem that traces Wordsworth's journey from childhood to adulthood, exploring the development of his poetic mind and the influence of nature.
* "Tintern Abbey" (1805): A revised version of the poem included in "Lyrical Ballads," providing a deeper meditation on the power of memory and the interconnectedness of self and nature.
Chapter 5: Later Poems (1815-1850)
* "Ode to Duty" (1807): A reflective poem that explores the importance of pursuing moral and ethical obligations, even when it requires personal sacrifice.
* "Excursion" (1814): A long narrative poem that continues the themes of self, nature, and duty explored in "The Prelude."
Chapter 6: Ecclesiastical Sonnets (1821-1823)
* "Sonnet XXIX" (1823): A sonnet that celebrates the beauty and tranquility of nature, suggesting that it is a reflection of the divine.
* "Sonnet XCVI" (1823): A sonnet that explores the power of music to express both joy and sorrow, evoking the beauty and fragility of human emotions.
Chapter 7: Poems of Memory and Reflection (1827-1850)
* "Elegiac Stanzas Suggested by a Picture of Peele Castle" (1833): A melancholy poem that reflects on the passage of time and the loss of loved ones, using the ruins of Peele Castle as a symbol of decay and transience.
* "Ode on the Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood" (1833): A revised version of the poem included in "Poems of Nature and Imagination," further exploring the themes of childhood, memory, and the loss of innocence.
