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New Selected Poems, 1957-1994
This new collection of Hughes's poetry includes sixteen poems from his acclaimed "Crow" as well as examples from "Cave Birds," "Season Songs," "Remains of Elmet," "Gaudette," and "Moortown"
352 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1982
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About the author
Ted Hughes
375 books727 followersEdward James Hughes was an English poet, translator, and children's writer. Critics frequently rank him as one of the best poets of his generation and one of the twentieth century's greatest writers. He was appointed Poet Laureate in 1984 and held the office until his death. In 2008, The Times ranked Hughes fourth on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".
He married fellow poet Sylvia Plath in 1956, and they lived together in the United States and then in England, in a tumultuous relationship. They had two children before separating in 1962 and Plath ended her own life in 1963.
He married fellow poet Sylvia Plath in 1956, and they lived together in the United States and then in England, in a tumultuous relationship. They had two children before separating in 1962 and Plath ended her own life in 1963.
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March 8, 2017U ovom krugu čitanje se svelo uglavnom na pesme iz zbirke "Crow" i moram reći kako je moj dosadašnji utisak o Hjuzu bio znatno bleđi (jer em sam ga čitala odavno em se to svodilo na one prevode koji su tada bili dostupni). Ovo je... nešto sasvim drugačije i gadno dobro.
Ciklus pesama o Vrani je dosta specifičan po konceptu - Hjuz jeste krenuo od ideje da napravi ličnu mitologiju, znane svim čitaocima epske fantastike, ali se - kao prvo - koristio uglavnom mnogo drugačijim izvornim materijalom od Tolkina i tolkinovaca, usredsređujući se na kosmogoniju i priče o Varalici; kao drugo - ove pesme su u svojoj fragmentarnosti i protivrečnosti mnogo bliže nekom "pravom" sistemu mitova nego standardne izmišljene i na silu sistematizovane mitologije; kao treće - apsolutno se ne uklapaju u neku zaokruženu celinu osim po crnom humoru (koji je, iskreno, dovoljno crn da mi ne bude smešan iako prepoznajem da će nekome biti) i kao četvrto - ovo je, brate, poezija. I to brutalna i teška i mračna do mučnine. Nije za svaki dan (dobro, poezija generalno nije za svaki dan, bar ne meni), ali svakako je vredi čitati.
Ciklus pesama o Vrani je dosta specifičan po konceptu - Hjuz jeste krenuo od ideje da napravi ličnu mitologiju, znane svim čitaocima epske fantastike, ali se - kao prvo - koristio uglavnom mnogo drugačijim izvornim materijalom od Tolkina i tolkinovaca, usredsređujući se na kosmogoniju i priče o Varalici; kao drugo - ove pesme su u svojoj fragmentarnosti i protivrečnosti mnogo bliže nekom "pravom" sistemu mitova nego standardne izmišljene i na silu sistematizovane mitologije; kao treće - apsolutno se ne uklapaju u neku zaokruženu celinu osim po crnom humoru (koji je, iskreno, dovoljno crn da mi ne bude smešan iako prepoznajem da će nekome biti) i kao četvrto - ovo je, brate, poezija. I to brutalna i teška i mračna do mučnine. Nije za svaki dan (dobro, poezija generalno nije za svaki dan, bar ne meni), ali svakako je vredi čitati.
March 3, 2015
Art is its own end, some would say, and so authorial intentions become irrelevant in any hermeneutic endeavor. I do agree that killing off the author sets open myriad interpretative possibilities—the text becomes the reader’s; meaning could be sought in any vestige of the written word; the autonomy of the text results into the genesis of the reader. Fine and dandy. The problem in postmodern poetry, though, is that much of it is ‘confessional’—painfully personal and autobiographical, and the knowledge of the slightest details of the poet can block up, subliminally, the wanderings and vagaries of thought. Knowing that Sylvia Plath was a borderline masochist kinds of steers my thought-process conveniently into locating her verse in a certain hermeneutic space. I assign meaning without intending to, almost wrought powerless, miserable, utterly predictable by this foreknowledge. This is bad. This is very bad for the student who can only aspire to get their instructor’s attention by being ridiculously fantastic and novel.
Therefore, I read this book without any inquiry into Hughes’ life, what he suffered, what the poetic form meant for him. And sadly, I left him unimpressed, uninspired. There was considerable violence, the kind of violence and aggression you find in Plath, but most of it doesn't hit you hard enough, leaving you breathless, but rather distracted, confused, unsure. Some poems do overwhelm with their majestic construction, perfect diction but mostly, and this is sad, I couldn't find much in this collection that I would want to write in my journal. Sad, indeed, considering the general plaudit associated with his name. The Crow poems, though, are a different story—very disturbing yet very intriguing. Hughes, with his remarkable animal imagery, excels in presenting a different side of the human psychosis, a more shared, a more universal kind of postmodern alienation and bewilderment. He is perhaps even more elusive than Plath (which is weird considering how cerebral Plath herself was), but I think the last few poems in this collection came off as strikingly honest and personal, almost inviting autobiographical interpretation. I have no idea if they were written with Sylvia in mind, but they do strike one as little confessionals in themselves. I was immensely moved by the vulnerability shown. Most women don’t really fancy poor Ted because of obvious reasons but he had his side of the story, too, and it goes without saying that if you explored Plath’s neurotic world, Hughes’ equally neurotic world deserves exploration, too. He isn't half as good, at least for me, but he wrote the Crow poems, and, well, that’s reason enough.
My favorites from this collection in order of appearance:
“The Man Seeking Experience Enquires His Way of a Drop of Water”
“Hawk Roostings”
“Water”
“Memory”
“Crow Wakes” (and all the other Crow poems)
“Kafka”
“Pibroch”
“Full Moon and Little Frieda”
“Owl’s Song”
“Revenge Fable”
“Widdop”
“From Prometheus on His Crag”
“Low Water”
“Go Fishing”
“An Eel”
Therefore, I read this book without any inquiry into Hughes’ life, what he suffered, what the poetic form meant for him. And sadly, I left him unimpressed, uninspired. There was considerable violence, the kind of violence and aggression you find in Plath, but most of it doesn't hit you hard enough, leaving you breathless, but rather distracted, confused, unsure. Some poems do overwhelm with their majestic construction, perfect diction but mostly, and this is sad, I couldn't find much in this collection that I would want to write in my journal. Sad, indeed, considering the general plaudit associated with his name. The Crow poems, though, are a different story—very disturbing yet very intriguing. Hughes, with his remarkable animal imagery, excels in presenting a different side of the human psychosis, a more shared, a more universal kind of postmodern alienation and bewilderment. He is perhaps even more elusive than Plath (which is weird considering how cerebral Plath herself was), but I think the last few poems in this collection came off as strikingly honest and personal, almost inviting autobiographical interpretation. I have no idea if they were written with Sylvia in mind, but they do strike one as little confessionals in themselves. I was immensely moved by the vulnerability shown. Most women don’t really fancy poor Ted because of obvious reasons but he had his side of the story, too, and it goes without saying that if you explored Plath’s neurotic world, Hughes’ equally neurotic world deserves exploration, too. He isn't half as good, at least for me, but he wrote the Crow poems, and, well, that’s reason enough.
My favorites from this collection in order of appearance:
“The Man Seeking Experience Enquires His Way of a Drop of Water”
“Hawk Roostings”
“Water”
“Memory”
“Crow Wakes” (and all the other Crow poems)
“Kafka”
“Pibroch”
“Full Moon and Little Frieda”
“Owl’s Song”
“Revenge Fable”
“Widdop”
“From Prometheus on His Crag”
“Low Water”
“Go Fishing”
“An Eel”
September 26, 2019
The early poems are pretty good but maybe not must-read stuff. The "crow" poems are some of the most shocking and brilliant poems you will ever read. The "birthday letters" ones are very good too. But there's this extended period between those two phases where the poems are a bit tame. I think the best way to read Ted Hughes might not be the Collected or Selected route, but rather to just read his best books (i.e. crow and birthday letters).
As far as his poetry goes overall, he seemed to be a really talented poet with a huge vocabulary, a great ear for the sound of words. His words seem to knock against one another resonantly. They sound beautifully and his poetry exists in this pagan realm of magic and stone faces, spirit animals. He seemed to want to attain some sort of pre-civillisation understanding of the natural world, to know on a spiritual level what it is to be somewhere between life and death and be surrounded by the great carnivorous fire. Everything is unnerving, crawling under your skin. I think he looks at pain and terror but maybe the truly deep and personal elements of his mind were in the mundane domestic details because he seems to have struggled to write about that stuff up until the last few years of his life. He can stare into the dark heart of his own soul but he can't fathom his feelings for his wife.
Ted Hughes is pretty great. I do find myself wishing the poems were a little shorter and more to the point. He can knock you out with a few ideas and images but then the poem will just keep on going for another page or so and you'll find yourself wishing he'd just edit his stuff down a bit and finding that the impact of those striking bits has been severely diminished by all the subsequent imagery.
I find it all a bit dark and heavy. It's not the sort of thing to pick up when you're feeling like you want something re-assuring and enjoyable. I will very rarely be in the mood to read a bit of Ted Hughes even though I know his best work to be so visionary and powerful.
The best poems are amazing. Most of the poems are underwhelming. I wish he could learn to combine his unconscious mojo with a lighter touch though. Every poem is a mini holocaust. It's hard to handle.
As far as his poetry goes overall, he seemed to be a really talented poet with a huge vocabulary, a great ear for the sound of words. His words seem to knock against one another resonantly. They sound beautifully and his poetry exists in this pagan realm of magic and stone faces, spirit animals. He seemed to want to attain some sort of pre-civillisation understanding of the natural world, to know on a spiritual level what it is to be somewhere between life and death and be surrounded by the great carnivorous fire. Everything is unnerving, crawling under your skin. I think he looks at pain and terror but maybe the truly deep and personal elements of his mind were in the mundane domestic details because he seems to have struggled to write about that stuff up until the last few years of his life. He can stare into the dark heart of his own soul but he can't fathom his feelings for his wife.
Ted Hughes is pretty great. I do find myself wishing the poems were a little shorter and more to the point. He can knock you out with a few ideas and images but then the poem will just keep on going for another page or so and you'll find yourself wishing he'd just edit his stuff down a bit and finding that the impact of those striking bits has been severely diminished by all the subsequent imagery.
I find it all a bit dark and heavy. It's not the sort of thing to pick up when you're feeling like you want something re-assuring and enjoyable. I will very rarely be in the mood to read a bit of Ted Hughes even though I know his best work to be so visionary and powerful.
The best poems are amazing. Most of the poems are underwhelming. I wish he could learn to combine his unconscious mojo with a lighter touch though. Every poem is a mini holocaust. It's hard to handle.
January 8, 2019
Hughes has a great way of describing animals and nature. But sometimes it's chilling when the crow and others are written so lifelike in certain situations. I know that the scenes in poems can be metaphors but still... And I admit that sometimes I had to bring out the dictionary for certain words. But overall there's a great lyrical quality when many of the poems are read aloud. And I enjoy nature poetry. I think it's a collection that deserves a read.
February 21, 2024
the book took the occasion of my reading
aching to cease let go its ugly load of speech
its cover cracked and slid from old glue
glue flaked itself onto floor and pants
crying out clean me sweep me
let me be no longer anchored in this dark
I am weary of the patterned hate
making choking gasses of these words
aching to cease let go its ugly load of speech
its cover cracked and slid from old glue
glue flaked itself onto floor and pants
crying out clean me sweep me
let me be no longer anchored in this dark
I am weary of the patterned hate
making choking gasses of these words
January 12, 2012
The rat is in the trap, it is in the trap, / And attacking heaven and earth with a mouthful of screeches like torn tin, / An effective gag. / When it stops screeching, it pants / And cannot think / "This has no face, it must be God" or / "No answer is also an answer."
February 18, 2017
I found many of Hughes' poems to be quite dark with very depressing themes. Especially many of the poems in The Crow, which he wrote after the death of his wife, Sylvia Plath.
November 7, 2016
Proactively bumping this up from 3 stars to 4, as I fully expect that once I follow through on some more analyses of different poems, I’ll want to bump it up to a 4 anyways. I’m not, by habit, much of a poetry reader, though I have read the odd poem/done the odd analysis throughout my schooling, and can respect and acknowledge the effort put into poetry. It just usually ends up a little too far on the abstract side in the way it addresses different topics for my taste. Ted Hughes was not really an exception to this, but since I had some actual context for his work and views going into reading this book, well, it really helped my understanding.
Specifically, the context to be aware of the frontier between man and animal, man and the godly, in this collection, as well as Hughes’ views on shamanism and the role it plays in a good number of these poems. For class, I had to prep an analysis of “The Jaguar” (page 4-5), and started out with very little idea how I should even go about such a thing. However, the more I dug into it with the resources I had been provided, the more I found there was to peel back within the poem. While reading the rest of the collection, I could see the hints and lifted corners where I could start peeling back layers in other poems, given the time. There is richness in his imagery, in his allusions and his metaphors, which leaves much to be interpreted. And because of some of the ambiguity in the poems, it makes it even more fun to analyze it with others, as everyone can bring something else to the table, a different angle which really enriches the fuller understanding of one poem or another.
The poems which stood out the most to me/struck me most along with some of the commentary as to why they did:
Hawk Roosting (page 29-30) – I enjoyed this for the hawk’s-eye view, and for the fact that it immediately and for more than one stanza reminded me of Tobias from Animorphs, #1-54 and how closely it fits with his life. (Yes, Animorphs still has a huge grip on me, even though I finished my reread last fall (!!).)
Ghost Crabs (page 58-59) – Seems to me that the ghost crabs are actually an analogy for something/someone else, though I’m not taking the time to analyze it and draw it out. At the very least, on the surface level, I liked the imagery and the fact that just below the surface there is clearly so much more. Plus I just love the sea and pretty much anything pertaining to it.
Moors (page 160) – Between the Kings and Queens, the witches and the fools and the moors, it reminds me very much of the setting of Macbeth. Plus that first stanza following the title really helps encourage one to think of a piece of theater while reading this poem: “Are a stage / For the performance of heaven. / Any audience is incidental.”
Prospero and Sycorax (page 206-207) – From this poem, I learned that I really need to catch up on the rest of Shakespeare’s works to even begin to appreciate it in any meaningful form.
New Foal (235-236) – Mostly I liked the very end stanzas because of imagery which evokes images of Poseidon’s horses, horses of the sea: “It will coil his eyeball and his heel / In a single terror – like the awe / Between lightning and thunderclap. // And curve his neck, like a sea-monster emerging / Among foam, // And fling the new moons through his stormy banner, / And the full moons and the dark moons.”
For the Duration (page 273-274) – First this reminds me of the WWI podcast I’m listening to, with lots of personal accounts from men in the trenches, and not just their commanders. Secondly, it also reminds me of, naturally, Animorphs, #1-54, specifically the one where Jake reflects on how his grandfather owns a locker where he keeps his stuff from the war, to rarely be taken out let alone discussed, and how the “you” in this poem makes me think so much of soldiers after the war who chose not to tell, to talk, about what they survived even when they may have shared similar experiences with their fellow soldiers “Maybe you didn’t want to frighten me. […] // Why couldn’t I have borne / To hear you telling what you underwent? / Why was your war so much more unbearable / Than anyone else’s? As if nobody else / Knew how to remember. […]”
The God (page 300-303) – Mostly I liked the first two extended stanzas, as they were the most transparently about writers and their labor of love and pain to write. “What was it within you / had to tell its tale?” and “Your heart, mid-Sahara, raged / In its emptiness. / Your dreams were empty. / You bowed at your desk and you wept / Over the story that refused to exist, / As over a prayer / That could not be prayed / To a non-existent God.”
Specifically, the context to be aware of the frontier between man and animal, man and the godly, in this collection, as well as Hughes’ views on shamanism and the role it plays in a good number of these poems. For class, I had to prep an analysis of “The Jaguar” (page 4-5), and started out with very little idea how I should even go about such a thing. However, the more I dug into it with the resources I had been provided, the more I found there was to peel back within the poem. While reading the rest of the collection, I could see the hints and lifted corners where I could start peeling back layers in other poems, given the time. There is richness in his imagery, in his allusions and his metaphors, which leaves much to be interpreted. And because of some of the ambiguity in the poems, it makes it even more fun to analyze it with others, as everyone can bring something else to the table, a different angle which really enriches the fuller understanding of one poem or another.
The poems which stood out the most to me/struck me most along with some of the commentary as to why they did:
Hawk Roosting (page 29-30) – I enjoyed this for the hawk’s-eye view, and for the fact that it immediately and for more than one stanza reminded me of Tobias from Animorphs, #1-54 and how closely it fits with his life. (Yes, Animorphs still has a huge grip on me, even though I finished my reread last fall (!!).)
Ghost Crabs (page 58-59) – Seems to me that the ghost crabs are actually an analogy for something/someone else, though I’m not taking the time to analyze it and draw it out. At the very least, on the surface level, I liked the imagery and the fact that just below the surface there is clearly so much more. Plus I just love the sea and pretty much anything pertaining to it.
Moors (page 160) – Between the Kings and Queens, the witches and the fools and the moors, it reminds me very much of the setting of Macbeth. Plus that first stanza following the title really helps encourage one to think of a piece of theater while reading this poem: “Are a stage / For the performance of heaven. / Any audience is incidental.”
Prospero and Sycorax (page 206-207) – From this poem, I learned that I really need to catch up on the rest of Shakespeare’s works to even begin to appreciate it in any meaningful form.
New Foal (235-236) – Mostly I liked the very end stanzas because of imagery which evokes images of Poseidon’s horses, horses of the sea: “It will coil his eyeball and his heel / In a single terror – like the awe / Between lightning and thunderclap. // And curve his neck, like a sea-monster emerging / Among foam, // And fling the new moons through his stormy banner, / And the full moons and the dark moons.”
For the Duration (page 273-274) – First this reminds me of the WWI podcast I’m listening to, with lots of personal accounts from men in the trenches, and not just their commanders. Secondly, it also reminds me of, naturally, Animorphs, #1-54, specifically the one where Jake reflects on how his grandfather owns a locker where he keeps his stuff from the war, to rarely be taken out let alone discussed, and how the “you” in this poem makes me think so much of soldiers after the war who chose not to tell, to talk, about what they survived even when they may have shared similar experiences with their fellow soldiers “Maybe you didn’t want to frighten me. […] // Why couldn’t I have borne / To hear you telling what you underwent? / Why was your war so much more unbearable / Than anyone else’s? As if nobody else / Knew how to remember. […]”
The God (page 300-303) – Mostly I liked the first two extended stanzas, as they were the most transparently about writers and their labor of love and pain to write. “What was it within you / had to tell its tale?” and “Your heart, mid-Sahara, raged / In its emptiness. / Your dreams were empty. / You bowed at your desk and you wept / Over the story that refused to exist, / As over a prayer / That could not be prayed / To a non-existent God.”
November 24, 2019
You may wonder why not I've not given four or even five stars for this book. Hughes was a great poet, but an uneven one. The best of his work is vigorous, unflinching. Nature, in his work, isn't the usual genteel excursion into some Home Counties Arcadia - a walk in a rural theme park. 'Nature, red in tooth and claw' might have been written specifically for Hughes.
To me, the best poems are the following:
Pike
The Thought-Fox
The Jaguar
View of a Pig
Wind
The Bull Moses
Her Husband
Hawk Roosting
The Martyrdom of Bishop Farrar
An Otter
Horses
Thistles
Rain
Dehorning
February 17th
The Tender Place
The God
At the time, the last two poems had yet to be released as part of the Birthday Letters sequence. No one knew at the time they'd been treated to an advance preview.
You will notice I exclude the entirety of Crow, Gaudete, and Remains of Elmet. The answer to that is simple: I don't think they were any good, least of all Crow.
To me, the best poems are the following:
Pike
The Thought-Fox
The Jaguar
View of a Pig
Wind
The Bull Moses
Her Husband
Hawk Roosting
The Martyrdom of Bishop Farrar
An Otter
Horses
Thistles
Rain
Dehorning
February 17th
The Tender Place
The God
At the time, the last two poems had yet to be released as part of the Birthday Letters sequence. No one knew at the time they'd been treated to an advance preview.
You will notice I exclude the entirety of Crow, Gaudete, and Remains of Elmet. The answer to that is simple: I don't think they were any good, least of all Crow.
December 3, 2007
say what you want about the relationship between ted hughes and sylvia plath, but ted hughes is an amazing poet. there's certainly a reason that he and sylvia were married--they both wrote stunning poetry.
ted hughes is best known as a nature poet and as a beloved writer of poetry for children--i love him for both. his nature poetry is filled with both beautiful and unromantic images, and his musicality and free verse rhythm is delicate and nuanced. this collection of selected poems is a good sampling of what he offers the poetry world.
ted hughes is best known as a nature poet and as a beloved writer of poetry for children--i love him for both. his nature poetry is filled with both beautiful and unromantic images, and his musicality and free verse rhythm is delicate and nuanced. this collection of selected poems is a good sampling of what he offers the poetry world.
March 22, 2015
Very much like T.S. Eliot, Ted Hughes was part of my literature syllabus in high school. However, unlike Eliot, I feel Hughes is a much more understandable poet. He made me enjoy poetry when I really thought I couldn't. It's a pleasure to read both formerly read and unknown poems time and time again :)
October 4, 2011
A fine collection! 4.5 stars. I have access to many Ted Hughes books including the ponderous Collected Poems tome. This New Selected Poems (1982) is the one Ted Hughes book to start off with as well as own. It near-perfectly seperates the wheat from the chaff. Pretty amazing.
August 19, 2012
I will try to write a more insightful review at some point soon.
August 3, 2024
Ugh how does he make me feel every emotion like that, as if I’m experiencing them as he did when he wrote them, from floor to ceiling in my soul
May 11, 2025
One of the most shockingly unique perspectives in poetry, to read Hughes is to undergo a somewhat uncomfortable enlightenment.
I also love his pessimistic poems about human love, almost reminds me of Renaissance coterie poetry.
I also love his pessimistic poems about human love, almost reminds me of Renaissance coterie poetry.
June 9, 2014
Rovi
L'aria intera, il giorno intero
vortica dei richiami delle taccole. La stirpe neonata
delle taccole è iniziata
alla taccolità - quella complicata
corte di convenzioni
e precedenze, di sciovinismo e leggi.
Corte che è quasi una prigione - con sbarre
di gridi e di segnali. Carcerieri
sono tutte le altre taccole. Aprendomi una via
tra i grovigli dei rovi
ho pensato di nuovo: mi sentono?
I rovi sono un tale successo, le loro difese
così elaborate,
la loro estensione così intenzionale, sono svegli?
Certo un nimbo di dolore e di piacere
siede sulla loro nuda corona,
la loro offerta sessuale. Certo non sono solo insensibili,
un vano andare a tentoni. E poi perché no?
Non è lo stesso per le cellule del mio sangue?
Le mie cellule cerebrali forse temono o sentono
il bisturi o l'incidente?
Anch'esse incoronano una pianta
di straordinaria insensibilità. E le taccole
si danno segretamente da fare per essere taccole
come se fossero semi nella terra.
L'intera claque è un'ottenebrata religione
intorno alla sintassi e al vocabolario divini
di una muta cellula, che non sa chi siamo
e neppure che siamo qui,
inimminenti come un qualsiasi fiore di rovo.
L'aria intera, il giorno intero
vortica dei richiami delle taccole. La stirpe neonata
delle taccole è iniziata
alla taccolità - quella complicata
corte di convenzioni
e precedenze, di sciovinismo e leggi.
Corte che è quasi una prigione - con sbarre
di gridi e di segnali. Carcerieri
sono tutte le altre taccole. Aprendomi una via
tra i grovigli dei rovi
ho pensato di nuovo: mi sentono?
I rovi sono un tale successo, le loro difese
così elaborate,
la loro estensione così intenzionale, sono svegli?
Certo un nimbo di dolore e di piacere
siede sulla loro nuda corona,
la loro offerta sessuale. Certo non sono solo insensibili,
un vano andare a tentoni. E poi perché no?
Non è lo stesso per le cellule del mio sangue?
Le mie cellule cerebrali forse temono o sentono
il bisturi o l'incidente?
Anch'esse incoronano una pianta
di straordinaria insensibilità. E le taccole
si danno segretamente da fare per essere taccole
come se fossero semi nella terra.
L'intera claque è un'ottenebrata religione
intorno alla sintassi e al vocabolario divini
di una muta cellula, che non sa chi siamo
e neppure che siamo qui,
inimminenti come un qualsiasi fiore di rovo.
May 6, 2023
Prometheus On His Crag
Sees the wind
Whip all things to whip all things
The light whips the water the water whips the light
And men and women are whipped
By invisible tongues
They claw and tear and labour forward
Or cower cornered under the whipping
They whip their animals and their engines
To get them from under the whips
They lift their faces and look all round
For their master and tormentor
When they collapse to curl inwards
They are like cut plants and blind
Already beyond pain or fear
Even the snails are whipped
The swifts too screaming to outstrip the whip
Even as if being were a whipping
Even the earth leaping
Like a great ungainly top
I think that's a pretty good summary of Hughes' cosmogony.
There's so much incredible mind-rending imagery in these poems its pretty much 5 stars butttttt I do wish Hughes more often worked in a mode outside of menacing/dour/fatalistic lol
October 15, 2017
I read Ted Hughes poems while I was at university studying a Creative and Professional Writing degree. I must say, out of all the poets we studied, Ted Hughes is the one that is stuck on my mind.
His work is outstanding, very easy to understand, and it goes deep into topics and which makes it literature. I loved the 'Crow' poems and the 'Flowers and Insects' poems.
His work is pure art, using words.
I relate to his work, there is no doubt that this is my to go to collection of poems when I need inspiration, when I need to smile and if I need to recommend someone some poems this is the collection I will tell them about.
His work is outstanding, very easy to understand, and it goes deep into topics and which makes it literature. I loved the 'Crow' poems and the 'Flowers and Insects' poems.
His work is pure art, using words.
I relate to his work, there is no doubt that this is my to go to collection of poems when I need inspiration, when I need to smile and if I need to recommend someone some poems this is the collection I will tell them about.
April 3, 2022
Half the time Tedward seems to be trying his best to make his poetry incomprehensible and opaque but when he gets to telling a story with his poems it’s really quite immense. the Moortown Diary stuff was my fave. So happy to finally have gotten thru the first book of poetry I ever bought and I think I need to finish the job with Birthday Letters. Wonderful career Mr. Hughes you were a bit naff when you started out but you stuck at it and you became really fabulous by the end
April 18, 2017
Comparing him to Sylvia, he's absolutely far away behind his wife. However, he's worth to read.
SNOWDROP
Now is the globe shrunk tight
Round the mouse's dulled wintering heart.
Weasel and crow, as if moulded in brass,
Move through an outer darkness
Not in their right minds,
With the other deaths. She, too, pursue her ends,
Brutal as the stars of his month,
Her pale head heavy as metal.
SNOWDROP
Now is the globe shrunk tight
Round the mouse's dulled wintering heart.
Weasel and crow, as if moulded in brass,
Move through an outer darkness
Not in their right minds,
With the other deaths. She, too, pursue her ends,
Brutal as the stars of his month,
Her pale head heavy as metal.
May 11, 2017
Read these poems for my English A Level and to be honest, Hughes poetry isn't really my type but I did like some of them. His poetry is just so blunt and it's very violent and a lot of it involves death. My favourites poems were 'The Thought-Fox' and 'Snow'.
April 6, 2020
Although I appreciated the craftsmanship, there are few poems here that I really liked. Too many dead sheep for my taste. His mythic and brutal imagery is much better suited to his 'Tales From Ovid' which I loved.
February 6, 2021
Re-reading. Had this on my table for the past few months to dip into as the mood takes me. The Howling of Wolves about the noises from London zoo he would hear at night following Plaths death is still stunning.
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May 10, 2013Coll.
May 29, 2013
I had to read this for A-level literacy and it nearly killed me!
We had argument over argument on Hughes' work and I think our teachers regretted selecting his works.
We had argument over argument on Hughes' work and I think our teachers regretted selecting his works.
June 16, 2016
Peerless. How can he capture the sublime, terrible beauty of the world so perfectly?
October 12, 2020
"Meh" does not do the profound mediocrity of this collection justice.
November 24, 2020
1 star because I can't go below
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