(Poem #791) After Oh, the littles that remain! Scent of mint out in the lane; Flare of window; sound of bees; -- These, but these. Three times sitting down to bread; One time climbing up to bed; Table-setting o'er and o'er; Drying herbs for winter's store; This thing; that thing; -- nothing more. But just now out in the lane, Oh, the scent of mint was plain! |
A common theme in poetry - the transporting effects of memory. Indeed,
today's poem says nothing particularly *new*, but it says it well. Reese's
poetry has been praised for its 'intensity and concision', a summing up with
which I fully agree, and which shows to very good effect in 'After'. The
contrast between the dull monotony of routine and the sharp spice of a
memory is beautifully evoked in a few, short words, crystallising around the
very different tones of 'these, but these' and 'this thing; that thing; --
nothing more'.
Biography and criticism:
Reese, Lizette Woodworth
1856-1935, American poet, b. Waverly, Md.
Lizette Woodworth Reese was a professional, independent woman from the
time she left high school in 1873. She began her teaching career that year
and published her first poem in Baltimore's Southern Magazine in 1874. She
taught for 45 years in the public schools of Baltimore. Her poetry and her
readings of it were particularly popular in women's groups throughout the
United States. She was one of the founders of the Woman's Literary Club of
Baltimore and its chairman of poetry until her death in 1935. In April,
1931 she was named Poet Laureate of the General Federation of Women's
Clubs. In that same month, she was iven an honorary doctorate of
literature by Goucher College which called her one of the "greatest living
women in America."
In her lifetime, Reese was internationally admired for her poetic genius
and hailed by H.L. Mencken as one of the most distinguished poets in the
United States. This volume is the first extensive collection of her poems
since her Selected Poems was published in 1926.
-- From the description of "In Praise of Common Things"
http://info.greenwood.com/books/0313279/html
In the 1920s when women in great numbers were again publishing her kind of
poetry, Reese began to re-emerge as a poet. Robert Hariss claims that both
Teasdale and Millay were "deeply indebted" to her.
From Cheryl Walker, "The Nightingale's burden : women poets and
American culture before 1900."
-- [broken link] http://library.nsuok.edu/Ella/Bio/bnighten.htm
[Read the whole thing - it's good]
Her poetry, remarkable for its intensity and concision, has been compared
to that of Emily Dickinson. She is probably best remembered for the sonnet
"Years". [I think that last is a typo for 'Tears' - m.]
-- [broken link] http://www.encyclopedia.com/printablenew/39250.html
Links:
Reiterating the essay on pre-1900 woman poets:
-- [broken link] http://library.nsuok.edu/Ella/Bio/bnighten.htm
Some previous poems I was reminded of (for various reasons):
poem #206
poem #236
poem #323
poem #373
poem #464
poem #670
- martin
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