Modern American Poetry (Paperback)

MODERN AMERICAN POETRY EDITED BY B. RAJAN FREDERICK BRANTLEY DAVID DAICHES VIVIENNE KOCH JAMES LAUGHLIN ROBERT LOWELL ARCHIBALD MACLEISH NORMAN MACLEOD LOUIS L. MARTZ MARIANNE MOORE EZRA POUND B. RAJAN THEODORE SPENCER WALLACE STEVENS JOS GARCIA VILLA ROBERT PENN WARREN WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS YVOR WINTERS London Dennis Dobson Ltd First published in Great Britain in 1950 by Dennis Dobson Ltd, 12 Park Place, St Jamess, London S W i. All rights reserved. Pnnted in Great Britain by The Bowering Press, London and Plymouth I23-K CONTENTS FOREWORD 7 SYMPOSIUM MODERN AMERICAN POETRY The Poetry of Allen Tate Vivienm Koch 9 The Poetry of John Crowe Ransom Viviennc Koch 33 The Achievement of Robert Penn Warren Frederick Brantley 66 Imagism a Reconsideration Ji. Rajan 81 The World of Wallace Stevens Loui L. Marr 94 Some Notes on Contemporary American Poetry Da vid Dale lies 1 09 Observations on the Poetry of E. E. Cummings Theodore Spencer 8 A LITTLE ANTHOLOGY OF CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN POETRY Edited by viviKNNK KOCH Go West Young Man James Laughlin 127 The Hairs of My Grandfathers Head James Laughlin 128 The Return of Love James Laughlin 1 29 Christmas Eve under Hookers Statue Robert Lowell 1 30 In the Cage Robert Lowell 131 The Dead in Europe Robert Lowell 132 The Soldier Robert Lowell 132 What Must Archibald Macleish 133 The Dark Descent Norman Macleod 135 A Man in Midpassage Norman Macleod 135 Three Hawks, Three Ladies Norman Macleod 136 Postdate Pacific Norman Macleod 137 The Blue Bomber Norman Macleod 137 Contents Voracities and Verities Sometimes are Interacting Marianne Moore 138 From Canto Ixxx E ra Pound 139 For the Chinese Actress, Gardenia Chang Kenneth Rexroth 148 To Wei Pa, a RetiredScholar Kenneth Rexroth 148 Credences of Summer Wallace Stevens 149 Imago Wallace Stevens 154 Celle qui Fut Haulmiette Wallace Stevens 155 St, John and the Back-Ache Wallace Stevens 156 Two Conceits Allen Tate 157 Five Poems Jos Garcia Villa 159 A Song for Rosemarie Josi Garcia Villa 162 From Proud Flesh Robert Penn Warren 163 Perpetuum Mobile the City William Carlos Williams 167 The Pink Church William Carlos Williams 173 The Sea Farer William Carlos Williams 177 The Sound of Waves William Carlos Williams 178 To the Holy Spirit Yvor Winters 179 Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight Yvor Winters 180 American and English Poetry A Questionnaire 182 FOREWORD WHEN Focus was first planned it was among our early intentions to devote a whole volume to modern American poetry. We wanted to do so because we thought the subject worth discussing but we were surprised to discover that it had hardly been dis cussed. The result is that this number of Focus is the first book on its subject to be published in England and, apart from Horace Gregorys recent History, almost the first of its kind to appear in America. This is not the first time Focus has played the pioneer and we should hardly be editorially human if we did not take some pride in making this announcement. But that pride is more than offset by regret at the state of criticism which makes the announcement possible. This issue of Focus is not meant to be a handbook or a survey. It is based on separate studies of five writers whom we think many critics would include among the six most important of contem porary American poets. The sixth should be William Carlos Williams and we are very sorry indeed to be unable to include a study of his work here.Naturally these studies suggest several qualities of modern American verse they perhaps do so more efficiently than some more comprehensive histories and hand books but no isolation of the American element in these poets is intended and we should regard such abstractions as treacherous if not impossible. It is regrettable to have to add that the poems which should be studied in conjunction with these articles are, many of them, inaccessible in England...