11/22/2011 -- E. E. Cummings has several poems in the "Top 100" list we're compiling. This one -- "Snow" is the most compelling - and interesting - and is actually responsible for the most "hits" on our blog.Cummings contribution is one more of "form importance" than popularity (both aspects are considered as we make our list) -- you won't find this poem being presented to children as one of their first exposures to the world of poetry. His sideways, backwards, metaphori-symbolic word play -- using other techniques such as line spacing, vertical letter orientation, odd punctuation, rythm and the sequence of feelings as part of the poem itself, defy clear definition.
But it is very interesting and many of his poems have a very high "time per line" analysis rate, lol.
Snow, by ee cummings. Enjoy!
Snow
by E. E. Cummings
SNOW
cru
is
ingw Hi
sperf
ul
lydesc
BYS FLUTTERFULLY IF
(endbegi ndesignb ecend)tang
lesp
ang
le
s
ofC omego
CRINGE WITHS
lilt(
-ing-
lyful
of)!
(s
r
BIRDS BECAUSE AGAINS
emarkable
s)h?
y&a
(from n
o(into whe)re f
ind)
nd
ArE
GLIB SCARCELYEST AMONGS FLOWERING
OK, readers, help out here; I love cummings - but all I can do is scratch the surface on this - one of his classic abstracts.
ReplyDeleteOK, readers, help out here; I love cummings - but all I can do is scratch the surface on this - one of his classic abstracts.
ReplyDeleteall right, this is what I get out of it:
ReplyDeleteSNOW
cruising
whispers
fully
desc(end
BYS FLUTTER FULLY IF
(begin
design
becend)
tangle
spangles
of
Come
go
CRINGE WITHS
lilting
liltlyful
lilts of!
BIRDS BECAUSE AGAINS
remarkable
shy & and
(from no(into where)re
find)
ArE
GLIB SCARCELYEST AMONGS FLOWERING
The last line sounds to me like "Glibs are lest among flowerings", though I know that doesn't make sense.
If you look at the capitalised letters in each section, from top to bottom they form the word EACH.
I'm not sure what to make of the extra S's that hang about. Could they be stand-ins for the word snow?
I don't want to say there's not a deeper meaning, but it sounds like it's really just about snow.
This is a really interesting poem; I'd not heard it before. Thanks for sharing it.
i like trains
ReplyDeletesnowy trains smashing butterflies and birds at weird angles hither dither
ReplyDeletejust an abstract strain on the poem , beautiful and painting like music like rather than stressing on words and meaning even sensibility a poem as a sight , senses as music
ReplyDeleteplease tell me what type of poem this is
ReplyDeleteA poem about having sex in the snow and bursting with joy from the butterfly on the nut from the sack below on the face so clean and white yum and swallow bird.
ReplyDeletethanks Melville. I think you're read is brilliant. Here's my go:
ReplyDeleteCruising
High
perfectfully descending
BYS FLUTTERFULLY IF
ending beginning and designing and be-scending
tangles
p
angels
of come and go ('omego' is the accusative for omega in Ancient Greek, so cummings' play on letters and words imply this being-with, angels "CO-ing")
CRINGE WITHS
lilting (sly, lilting)
lyful (gleeful, liltingful)
of)!
(s
r
BIRDS BECAUSE AGAINS
remarkable
shy?
yes
from no (into whe)re find)
and
dArE-GLI B SCARCELYEST AMONGS FLOWERING
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSnow
ReplyDeleteCrushing whispers fully decended
Fluttering fully by
If endings and beginings, by design, become entangled
The spangles of come and go do cringe
Within its liltingly full branches
Birds chirp because, again,
The remarkably shy come from nowhere
And argue scarcely amongst the flowers
I thought I had already posted this, but it looks like it didn't work. Soooo, here it is again. As I said before: this was fun to do and only took me a minute to figure out. Once you start, it's easy to continue. If you don't like my version or don't get it, that's O.K.! Try it out yourself, it might be easier than you thought.