WNYC has invited Pulitzer prize winning writer Philip Levine to be our poet in residence. Over the next two months, Levine will share some of his favorite poetry that resonate with current events or, perhaps, offer a brief respite from the news of the day. Today, a reflection on the arrival of Spring.
Levine: Near the end of this brutal winter, I've been thinking gratefully of this poem by William carlos Williams-- one of my favorite American poets. It's called "Spring and All"...and it's in the book of that title. Here the poet Dr. on the way to the hospital portrays the beginning of the spring and the first protrusion of new life and the struggle to hang on in a world of contagion.
"Spring And All"
By the road to the contagious hospital
under the surge of the blue
mottled clouds driven from the
northeast-a cold wind. Beyond, the
waste of broad, muddy fields
brown with dried weeds, standing and fallen
patches of standing water
the scattering of tall trees
All along the road the reddish
purplish, forked, upstanding, twiggy
stuff of bushes and small trees
with dead, brown leaves under them
leafless vines-
Lifeless in appearance, sluggish
dazed spring approaches-
They enter the new world naked,
cold, uncertain of all
save that they enter. All about them
the cold, familiar wind-
Now the grass, tomorrow
the stiff curl of wildcarrot leaf
One by one objects are defined-
It quickens: clarity, outline of leaf
But now the stark dignity of
entrance-Still, the profound change
has come upon them: rooted, they
grip down and begin to awaken
Levine: I guess, I guess what I like the most is when he finally after all these things says to us, "lifeless in appearance... sluggish, dazed spring approaches." I guess It reminds me of my own inner spirit when I was a young guy and spring came on. It absolutely overwhelmed me...I was so beset with sexual desire. I could hardly walk. I was crippled by what was supposed to give me new life. It was astonishing and it happened every year. As long ago as that was I can still remember and I'd like to experience it again but it doesn't seem to be in the offing. It's been a while...For wnyc this is Phil Levine.
Poetry Links
William Carlos Williams
Poets dot org
A bio of Williams and links to his poems
Modern American Poetry
More poems by Williams
"Spring And All"
essay on Williams' poem "Spring And All"
Alun Lewis
The Alun Lewis Page
For information on Alun Lewis
War Poetry
Alun Lewis' War Poems
Philip Levine
Alfred A Knopf on Philip Levine
Information on many of Levine's books
Philip Levine on the Internet Poetry Archive.
Read Levine's poetry and listen to Levine read his poetry
Galway Kinnell
Galway Kinnell Reads Walt Whitman
Kinnell reads Whitman's "To The States" and comments on it
General Poetry Links
The Leonard Lopate Show: Poetry Magazine
Hear Mr. Lopate talk about the 100 million-dollar donation from Ruth Lilly to Poetry Magazine
The Next Big Thing: Poetry Lives
Alice Quinn, poetry editor for the New Yorker and executive director of the Poetry Society of America, sorts through some entries to the Poetry in Motion Contest
e-poets Network Book of Voices
a list of poets and poems from the Chicago area-- you can listen to poets read their work
The Poetry Project
is at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, since 1966
Bartleby.com
A collection of books online, including a bounty of verse
An Audible Anthology
A collection of poems printed in the Atlantic Montly to read or listen to
Gumball Poetry
It's a zine, it's a website, it's a gumball machine that dispenses poetry!
A selection of Philip Levine's books
A New Selected Poems
Available for purchase at Amazon.com
The Simple Truth
Available for purchase at Amazon.com
The Mercy
Available for purchase at Amazon.com
What Work Is: Poems
Available for purchase at Amazon.com