Now & then : the Poet's Choice columns, 1997-2000

317 Pages·2007·2.596 MB·English

by  Hass, Robert

Now & Then
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Also by Robert Hass
Poetry
Time and Materials: Poems 1997–2005
Sun Under Wood
Human Wishes
Praise
Field Guide
Essays
Twentieth Century Pleasures
Translations
Czeslaw Milosz, The Separate Notebooks
(with Robert Pinsky and Renata Gorczynski)
Czeslaw Milosz, Unattainable Earth (with the author)
Czeslaw Milosz, Collected Poems (with the author and others)
Czeslaw Milosz, Provinces (with the author)
Czeslaw Milosz, Facing the River (with the author)
Czeslaw Milosz, Treatise on Poetry (with the author)
Czeslaw Milosz, Road-side Dog (with the author)
Czeslaw Milosz, Second Space: New Poems (with the author)
The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho¯, Buson, & Issa
Editor
Robinson Jeffers, Rock and Hawk: A Selection of Shorter Poems
Tomas Tranströmer, Selected Poems: 1954–1986
Into the Garden: A Wedding Anthology (with Stephen Mitchell)
The Addison Street Anthology: Berkeley’s Poetry Walk (with Jessica Fisher)
Poet’s Choice: Poems for Everyday Life
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Now & Then
The Poet’s Choice Columns
1997–2000
Robert Hass
H
Shoemaker & Hoard
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Copyright © 2007 by Robert Hass
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used
or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission from the Publisher, except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Every attempt has been made to secure permissions.
We regret any inadvertent omission.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hass, Robert.
Now & then : the Poet’s choice columns, 1997–2000 / Robert Hass.
p. cm.
Includes indexes.
ISBN-13: 978-1-59376-146-2 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1-59376-146-5 (alk. paper)
1. English poetry—History and criticism. 2. American poetry
—History and criticism. I. Title. II. Title: Now and then.

PR503.H27 2007
811'.54—dc22
2007003474

Book design by Gopa & Ted2, Inc.
Printed in the United States of America
H
Shoemaker Hoard
www.shoemakerhoard.com
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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For Finn, Josephine, Cole, Ella, Hazel & Fionna
—when you want, someday, to read a poem
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Contents
A Note to Readers xi
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1997
December 7 Wallace Stevens and Joni Mitchell 3
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
December 14 In Memoriam: James Laughlin 6
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
December 21 Nativity Poems:
William Butler Yeats and Louise Glück 9
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
December 28 A New Year’s Poem
from the Korean Sijo Tradition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1998
January 4 A Korean Poet: Ko Un 13
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
January 11 In Memoriam: Denise Levertov 16
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
January 19 In Memoriam: William Matthews 18
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
January 25 Frank Bidart 19
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
February 1 A Polish Poet: Adam Zagajewski 21
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
February 8 A Question of Decency: Walt Whitman 24
. . . . . . . . . . . .
February 15 Stanley Plumly 26
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
February 22 Sonia Sanchez 29
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
March 1 Marie Howe 30
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
March 8 John Koethe 32
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
March 15 Sylvia Plath 34
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
March 22 Ted Hughes 37
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
March 29 Spring, and a New Translation of Horace 39
. . . . . . . . . . .
April 5 Passover: Linda Pastan 41
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
April 12 Easter: Mary Karr 44
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
April 19 An Irish Poet: Derek Mahon 45
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
April 26 Audubon’s Birthday: Birds by Robert Frost,
W. C. Williams, and Robinson Jeffers 47
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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viii Contents
May 3 In Memoriam: Octavio Paz 49
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
May 10 Mother’s Day: Dorianne Laux 51
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
May 17 Agha Shahid Ali 53
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
May 24 Margaret Atwood 55
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
May 31 Memorial Day and Shakespeare 56
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
June 7 Summer and Baseball: Linda Gregerson 60
. . . . . . . . . . . .
June 14 Encompassing Nature:
Sappho, Lady Komachi, and an Irish Bard 61
. . . . . . . . . .
June 21 Father’s Day: Cornelius Eady 64
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
June 28 Joseph Stroud and Larissa Szporluk 66
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
July 5 Independence Day: Ralph Waldo Emerson 68
. . . . . . . . .
July 12 Patriotism and Public Memory: Robert Lowell 70
. . . . .
July 19 Susan Wheeler 74
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
July 26 D. A. Powell 76
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
August 2 Arthur Sze 78
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
August 9 The Villanelle:
Theodore Roethke and Elizabeth Bishop 79
. . . . . . . . . .
August 16 In Memoriam: Zbigniew Herbert 81
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
August 23 Something Old, Something New: Charlotte Mew 84
. . .
August 30 Yusef Komunyakaa 85
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
September 6 Labor Day: Gary Snyder 87
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
September 13 May Swenson 88
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
September 20 Donald Justice 90
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
September 27 Presidents, Poets, and Shame: James Wright 92
. . . . . . . . .
October 4 Filipino Poetry: Returning a Borrowed Tongue . . . . . . . . 95
October 11 John Ashbery 97
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
October 18 Sterling Brown 99
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
October 25 Robert Bly 102
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
November 1 Chase Twichell 104
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
November 8 A Canadian Poet: Roo Borson 106
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
November 15 A Portuguese Poet: Fernando Pessoa 107
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
November 22 Thanksgiving:
Harriet Maxwell Converse and Iroquois Song 109
. . . . .
November 29 A Swedish Poet: Tomas Tranströmer 111
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
December 6 Czeslaw Milosz: The Poet as a Road-side Dog 114
. . . . .
December 13 Israeli Poems on War and Peace: Yehuda Amichai 116
. . .
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Contents ix
December 20 Christmas: Mark Doty 117
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
December 27 A Poem for the End of a Thousand Years:
W. H. Auden 120
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1999
January 2 A Scottish Poet for New Year’s Day:
George Mackay Brown 123
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
January 10 In Memoriam: Margaret Walker 124
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
January 17 In Memoriam: Janet Lewis 127
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
January 24 Philip Larkin 130
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
January 31 A Spanish Poet: Rafael Alberti 131
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
February 7 George Herbert 132
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
February 14 Valentine’s Day: Kenneth Rexroth 134
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
February 21 An Irish Poet: Paul Muldoon 136
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
February 28 Ben Jonson 138
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
March 7 Pattiann Rogers 140
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
March 14 An Italian Poet: Eugenio Montale 142
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
March 21 Claudia Rankine 144
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
March 28 Gerard Manley Hopkins 146
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
April 4 Easter: Charles Wright 148
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
April 11 Richard Wright and Langston Hughes 152
. . . . . . . . . . . .
April 18 Wang Ping 155
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
April 25 Michael Ondaatje 156
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
May 2 Forrest Gander 160
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
May 9 A Serbian Poet: Vasko Popa 162
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
May 16 Adrienne Rich 165
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
May 23 Malena Mörling 167
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
May 30 Memorial Day: Jaime Sabines 170
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
June 6 The Poetics of Travel: Elizabeth Bishop 173
. . . . . . . . . . . .
June 13 Paul Beatty 175
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
June 20 Father’s Day: Li-Young Lee 177
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
June 27 Poetry and Weddings: Benjamin Saenz 180
. . . . . . . . . . . .
July 4 Independence Day: Rita Dove 182
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
July 11 Fanny Howe 183
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
July 18 Lee Ann Brown 187
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
July 25 A Serbian Epic: The Battle of Kosovo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
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x Contents
August 1 Denise Levertov 193
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
August 8 Summer Shakespeare 196
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
August 15 Louise Glück 199
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
August 22 In Memoriam: Sherley Anne Williams 202
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
August 29 Naomi Shihab Nye 205
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
September 5 Labor Day: Willam Blake and Debra Allbery 207
. . . . . . .
September 12 One Thousand Years of Poetry in English:
A Millennium Gathering 210
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
September 19 Rainer Maria Rilke: Herbsttag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
September 26 Rainer Maria Rilke Translated by
Galway Kinnell and William Gass 224
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
October 3 Andrew Hudgins 227
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
October 10 Heather McHugh 229
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
October 17 Dean Young 232
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
October 24 John Clare 237
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
October 31 Halloween: John Keats and Lynne McMahon 240
. . . . . .
November 7 Czeslaw Milosz: An Argument About Imperialism 243
. .
November 14 Wallace Stevens 245
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
November 21 Thanksgiving: Daniel Halpern 250
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
November 28 A Peruvian Poet: César Vallejo 253
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
December 5 Bad Words: Stephen Berg 256
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
December 12 Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf as an Ecological Epic . . . . . 259
December 19 Snow: Emerson, Lowell, Dickinson,
Longfellow, Whittier, and Stevens 261
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
December 26 Christmas: Ira Gershwin and Cole Porter 267
. . . . . . . . . .
2000
January 2 New Year’s Day:
Tessa Rumsey and Harryette Mullen 271
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
January 9 Charlotte Smith 274
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
January 16 Rita Dove 277
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Epilogue Ezra Pound 281
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Copyright Acknowledgments 287
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Index 297
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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