PBS Recommendation – Autumn 2016
W.S. Merwin is arguably the most influential American poet of the last half-century – an artist who has transfigured and reinvigorated the vision of poetry for our time. An essential voice in modern American literature, he was United States Poet Laureate in 2010-11.
Merwin composed the poems of Garden Time as he was losing his eyesight. When he could no longer see well enough to write, he dictated the poems to his wife, Paula. In this gorgeous, mindful and life-affirming book, he channels energy from animated sounds and memories to remind us that ‘the only hope is to be the daylight’.
This new collection written in his late-80s finds him deeply immersed in reflection on the passage of time and the frailty and sustaining power of memory. Switching between past and present, he shows us a powerful and moving vision of the eternal, focusing on images of mornings, sunsets, shifting seasons, stars, birds and insects to capture the connectedness of time, space and the natural world.
In a poem about Li Po, ‘now there is only the river / that was always on its own way’. In another poem he dreams that ‘the same river is still here / the house is the old house and I am here in the morning / in the sunlight and the same bird is singing’. He remembers when ‘dragonflies were as common as sunlight / hovering in their own days’ and recalls ‘a house that had been left to its own silence / for half a century’. In a poem of wonder entitled ‘Variations to the Accompaniment of a Cloud’, he writes: ‘I keep looking for what has always been mine / searching for it even as I / think of leaving it.’
Perception and memory of taste and sound become more heightened as his eyesight fails. He sits and listens to sounds from past summers. In ‘December Morning’, he writes:
I am almost blind and I see the piles
of books I was going to read next
there they sit like statues of sitting dogs
faithful to someone they used to know
but happiness has a shape made of air
it was never owned by anyone
it comes when it will in its own time
‘There are few great poets alive at any one time, and W.S. Merwin is one of them. Read him while he is still contemporary’ – Fiona Sampson, Guardian
Fast shipping and professional packing
Because of our long-standing relationship with UPS FedEx DHL and other major global carriers, we are able offer a variety shipping options. Our warehouse staff are highly trained and will pack the items according to the exact and precise specifications. Your items will undergo a thorough inspection and be properly secured before they are delivered. Everyday we deliver thousands of packages to clients from all over the world. This is a sign of our determination to become the biggest online retailer in the world. The distribution centers and warehouses distribution are located in Europe and the USA.
Note: Orders with more than one item are assigned a processing time in accordance with the item.
Before shipment, all ordered items will be thoroughly inspected. The majority of orders are delivered within 48 hours. The delivery time should be between 3 and 7 working days.
Returns
The inventory is constantly changing and we do not completely manage it because many stakeholders are involved, including our warehouse and factory. This means that the actual stock could change at any time. Be aware that your order could be unable to fill when you have placed the order.
Our policy is for 30 days. If it's been more 30 days since you bought the item We're sorry to say that we can't offer you a complete exchange or refund.
You can only return a product when it's unopened and in the same condition as when you received it. It must also be returned in the original packaging.
Related products
