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Stealing Sugar from the Castle: Selected and New Poems, 1950-2013
"[Robert Bly] is . . . the most recent in a line of great American transcendentalist writers."-New York TimesSelected from throughout Robert Bly's monumental body of work from 1950 through the present, Stealing Sugar from the Castle represents the culmination of an astonishing career in American letters.
Bly has long been the voice of transcendentalism and meditative mysticism for his generation. Influenced by Emerson and Thoreau, inspired by spiritual traditions from Sufism to Gnosticism, his vision is "oracular" (Antioch Review). From the rich, earthy simplicity of Silence in the Snowy Fields (1962) to the wild yet intricately formal ghazals of My Sentence Was a Thousand Years of Joy (2005) and the striking richness and authority of Talking into the Ear of a Donkey (2011), Bly's poetry is spiritual yet worldly, celebrating the uncanny beauty of the everyday. "I am happy, / The moon rising above the turkey sheds. // The small world of the car / Plunges through the deep fields of the night," he writes in "Driving Toward the Lac Qui Parle River." Here is a poet moved by the mysteries of the world around him, speaking the language of images in a voice brilliant and bold.
Bly has long been the voice of transcendentalism and meditative mysticism for his generation. Influenced by Emerson and Thoreau, inspired by spiritual traditions from Sufism to Gnosticism, his vision is "oracular" (Antioch Review). From the rich, earthy simplicity of Silence in the Snowy Fields (1962) to the wild yet intricately formal ghazals of My Sentence Was a Thousand Years of Joy (2005) and the striking richness and authority of Talking into the Ear of a Donkey (2011), Bly's poetry is spiritual yet worldly, celebrating the uncanny beauty of the everyday. "I am happy, / The moon rising above the turkey sheds. // The small world of the car / Plunges through the deep fields of the night," he writes in "Driving Toward the Lac Qui Parle River." Here is a poet moved by the mysteries of the world around him, speaking the language of images in a voice brilliant and bold.
- GenresPoetry
401 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 16, 2013
23 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Robert Bly
284 books414 followersRobert Bly was an American poet, author, activist and leader of the Mythopoetic Men's Movement.
Robert Bly was born in western Minnesota in 1926 to parents of Norwegian stock. He enlisted in the Navy in 1944 and spent two years there. After one year at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, he transferred to Harvard and thereby joined the famous group of writers who were undergraduates at that time, which included Donald Hall, Adrienne Rich, Kenneth Koch, John Ashbery, Harold Brodky, George Plimpton, and John Hawkes. He graduated in 1950 and spent the next few years in New York living, as they say, hand to mouth.
Beginning in 1954, he took two years at the University of Iowa at the Writers Workshop along with W. D. Snodgrass, Donald Justice, and others. In 1956 he received a Fulbright grant to travel to Norway and translate Norwegian poetry into English. While there he found not only his relatives but the work of a number of major poets whose force was not present in the United States, among them Pablo Neruda, Cesar Vallejo, Gunnar Ekelof, Georg Trakl and Harry Martinson. He determined then to start a literary magazine for poetry translation in the United States and so begin The Fifties and The Sixties and The Seventies, which introduced many of these poets to the writers of his generation, and published as well essays on American poets and insults to those deserving. During this time he lived on a farm in Minnesota with his wife and children.
In 1966 he co-founded American Writers Against the Vietnam War and led much of the opposition among writers to that war. When he won the National Book Award for The Light Around the Body, he contributed the prize money to the Resistance. During the 70s he published eleven books of poetry, essays, and translations, celebrating the power of myth, Indian ecstatic poetry, meditation, and storytelling. During the 80s he published Loving a Woman in Two Worlds, The Wingéd Life: Selected Poems and Prose of Thoreau,The Man in the Black Coat Turns, and A Little Book on the Human Shadow.
His work Iron John: A Book About Men is an international bestseller which has been translated into many languages. He frequently does workshops for men with James Hillman and others, and workshops for men and women with Marion Woodman. He and his wife Ruth, along with the storyteller Gioia Timpanelli, frequently conduct seminars on European fairy tales. In the early 90s, with James Hillman and Michael Meade, he edited The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, an anthology of poems from the men's work. Since then he has edited The Darkness Around Us Is Deep: Selected Poems of William Stafford, and The Soul Is Here for Its Own Joy, a collection of sacred poetry from many cultures.
Robert Bly was born in western Minnesota in 1926 to parents of Norwegian stock. He enlisted in the Navy in 1944 and spent two years there. After one year at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, he transferred to Harvard and thereby joined the famous group of writers who were undergraduates at that time, which included Donald Hall, Adrienne Rich, Kenneth Koch, John Ashbery, Harold Brodky, George Plimpton, and John Hawkes. He graduated in 1950 and spent the next few years in New York living, as they say, hand to mouth.
Beginning in 1954, he took two years at the University of Iowa at the Writers Workshop along with W. D. Snodgrass, Donald Justice, and others. In 1956 he received a Fulbright grant to travel to Norway and translate Norwegian poetry into English. While there he found not only his relatives but the work of a number of major poets whose force was not present in the United States, among them Pablo Neruda, Cesar Vallejo, Gunnar Ekelof, Georg Trakl and Harry Martinson. He determined then to start a literary magazine for poetry translation in the United States and so begin The Fifties and The Sixties and The Seventies, which introduced many of these poets to the writers of his generation, and published as well essays on American poets and insults to those deserving. During this time he lived on a farm in Minnesota with his wife and children.
In 1966 he co-founded American Writers Against the Vietnam War and led much of the opposition among writers to that war. When he won the National Book Award for The Light Around the Body, he contributed the prize money to the Resistance. During the 70s he published eleven books of poetry, essays, and translations, celebrating the power of myth, Indian ecstatic poetry, meditation, and storytelling. During the 80s he published Loving a Woman in Two Worlds, The Wingéd Life: Selected Poems and Prose of Thoreau,The Man in the Black Coat Turns, and A Little Book on the Human Shadow.
His work Iron John: A Book About Men is an international bestseller which has been translated into many languages. He frequently does workshops for men with James Hillman and others, and workshops for men and women with Marion Woodman. He and his wife Ruth, along with the storyteller Gioia Timpanelli, frequently conduct seminars on European fairy tales. In the early 90s, with James Hillman and Michael Meade, he edited The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, an anthology of poems from the men's work. Since then he has edited The Darkness Around Us Is Deep: Selected Poems of William Stafford, and The Soul Is Here for Its Own Joy, a collection of sacred poetry from many cultures.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 18, 2014
Took a couple of tries, but I finally succeeded in falling in love with some of Bly's poems. There's 63 years worth of poetry to select from, so creating this anthology had to be a daunting process.
The poems are presented chronologically and dipping in here and there, I felt like an observor of the soul of a man evolving. The wisdom and simple tenets that are so complexedly developed over a long life are simply stunning.
The poems are presented chronologically and dipping in here and there, I felt like an observor of the soul of a man evolving. The wisdom and simple tenets that are so complexedly developed over a long life are simply stunning.
February 10, 2014
This is vintage Robert Bly poetry, a large collection taken from numerous books published by the poet, as well as a few new poems. I find his poetry interesting and refreshing, and will continue to be one of his fans.
June 2, 2018
One of my all-time favourite poets, and one of my now favourite books!
June 18, 2023
"We did not come to remain whole. We came to lose our leaves like the trees."
The poetry of Robert Bly is filled with concrete images that are simple and resonate with the presence of real people. He was known (died in 2021) for being at the forefront of the Mens' Movement in the 1980's and 1990's. It seems an odd thing that many men are unaware that a men's movement exists, or has existed. We hear so much about the women's movement for better or worse. Bly was also known as a religious man, a transcendentalist. Most churches and religious movements focus to some extent on the family and it is not uncommon to see mens' and womens' retreats through these organizations.
Some of the focuses of the movement are on the decline of traditional fathering in many places, the effect of war on men, and countless other social and psychological issues. Like most people, I know very little myself. But, reading Bly's poetry, one gets a rich sense of the heart of his ideas. He lived through WWII and every big event that has occurred since in American and World history. So, the subject matter is sometimes intense... especially the poems on war and politics. But, his family and relationship poems are just as deep.
He wrote about religion, pain, death and dying, parents, children, and relationships. This book is a collection of many of his poetry books published over about five decades. He has also written a book that is very well known, Iron John which I've not read, but perhaps you have.
Whatever your interest in Bly, you are sure to enjoy his poetry. I have sprinkled a few lines from the book throughout this review to flavor your Father's Day.
And, remember this Father's Day... whoever you are... how important the men in your family are to you and to each of us. What ever generation he is in, and whatever your own, we are linear people, existing from age to age. There really should be no such thing as a generation gap. If there is, whose fault is that? Below is one larger slice of a poem, followed by a whole poem. And here is a video link for Bly himself reading Winter Poem, a powerful rendition worth enjoying.
The poetry of Robert Bly is filled with concrete images that are simple and resonate with the presence of real people. He was known (died in 2021) for being at the forefront of the Mens' Movement in the 1980's and 1990's. It seems an odd thing that many men are unaware that a men's movement exists, or has existed. We hear so much about the women's movement for better or worse. Bly was also known as a religious man, a transcendentalist. Most churches and religious movements focus to some extent on the family and it is not uncommon to see mens' and womens' retreats through these organizations.
"It is because we have so few women sobbing... Because we have so few children's heads torn apart by high-velocity bullets, Because we have so few tears falling on our own hands..."
Some of the focuses of the movement are on the decline of traditional fathering in many places, the effect of war on men, and countless other social and psychological issues. Like most people, I know very little myself. But, reading Bly's poetry, one gets a rich sense of the heart of his ideas. He lived through WWII and every big event that has occurred since in American and World history. So, the subject matter is sometimes intense... especially the poems on war and politics. But, his family and relationship poems are just as deep.
"Something seems to love this planet abandoned here pictures of Milky Way, and this child floating inside the Pacific of the womb, near the walls, hearing the breakers roaring."
He wrote about religion, pain, death and dying, parents, children, and relationships. This book is a collection of many of his poetry books published over about five decades. He has also written a book that is very well known, Iron John which I've not read, but perhaps you have.
"... the belts left hanging over the chairback after the bachelor has died in the ambulance on the way to the city."
Whatever your interest in Bly, you are sure to enjoy his poetry. I have sprinkled a few lines from the book throughout this review to flavor your Father's Day.
"We are poor students who stay after school to study joy."
And, remember this Father's Day... whoever you are... how important the men in your family are to you and to each of us. What ever generation he is in, and whatever your own, we are linear people, existing from age to age. There really should be no such thing as a generation gap. If there is, whose fault is that? Below is one larger slice of a poem, followed by a whole poem. And here is a video link for Bly himself reading Winter Poem, a powerful rendition worth enjoying.
"...What is it that men and women leave?
Harder than wren's doing, they have
To abandon their longing for the perfect.
The inner nest not made by instinct
Will never be quite round,
And each has to enter the nest
Made by the other imperfect bird."
"A man and a woman sit near each other, and they do not long
at this moment to be older, or younger, nor born
in any other nation, or time, or place.
They are content to be where they are, talking or not talking.
Their breaths together feed someone whom we do not know.
The man sees the way his fingers move;
he sees her hands close around a book she hands to him.
They obey a third body that they share in common.
They have made a promise to love that body.
Age may come, parting may come, death will come.
A man and a woman sit near each other;
as they breathe they feed someone we do not know,
someone we know of, whom we have never seen." - The Third Body, by Robert Bly
July 19, 2018
One of our finest poets.
June 29, 2024
Stealing Sugar from the Castle: Selected and New Poems, 1950-2013 by Robert Bly was compiled in 2013. It is divided into sixteen sections and contains 234 poems covering 63 years from 1950-2023. Most of it is disappointingly vague, cryptic, mysterious, baffling, and often nonsensical. I was an English major. I do have some critical, evaluative, and interpretative skills. Poetry is expressive, imaginative, creative, innovative, cerebral, and often averse to tradition and hard-bound restrictions. However, if I don’t understand it, it is inaccessible. I’m not afraid of the arcane, the unusual, nor the challenging, but if I can’t go beyond “huh?” it’s inaccessible.
Here are a few challenges for you:
“Our ancestors, on their passport photos, knew
The sound of a bird being pushed out of its nest.”
“So many rafters in life jackets are pulled down.”
“The tumbling of clowns is part of the abundance
That gives birth to death, along with bitter
Berries, charcoal, and the first snow.”
See what I mean? Word salad, right?
Bobby Bly, you’ve had a long and illustrious career. You’ve written dozens of books, taught hundreds of classes, and delivered scores of lectures. Why, oh, why, did you keep so much of it hidden by clouds of density and obfuscation?
Here are a few challenges for you:
“Our ancestors, on their passport photos, knew
The sound of a bird being pushed out of its nest.”
“So many rafters in life jackets are pulled down.”
“The tumbling of clowns is part of the abundance
That gives birth to death, along with bitter
Berries, charcoal, and the first snow.”
See what I mean? Word salad, right?
Bobby Bly, you’ve had a long and illustrious career. You’ve written dozens of books, taught hundreds of classes, and delivered scores of lectures. Why, oh, why, did you keep so much of it hidden by clouds of density and obfuscation?
May 17, 2019
A mixed bag here. His surrealism and religious content did not always ring true for me. He wowed me at times. Sometimes I found his last stanzas and lines were the best parts of the poems. His ghazals - some I really scratched my head over - some I could really feel. Here is where his last stanzas shone; perhaps for me because in this form the "maqtaa" is supposed to be more personal and that came through for me. Stand outs: Plan for a Year; Starting a Poem; Dealing with Parents; Waking in the Middle of the Night; and The Wagon and the Cliff - "Because I've become accustomed to failure, Some smoke of sadness blows off these poems. These poems are windows blown open by winter wind. . ."
June 21, 2018
I also skipped the prose poems. Boring. But Teeth-Mother and many of the lyrics are very enjoyable—not poems of the first rank maybe, but good work.
May 4, 2019
Not my cup of sugar.
January 14, 2022
A wonderful sampling of Bly's poetry.
February 18, 2023
Breathtaking. At an incredibly difficult time in my life, Robert Bly's work has helped me significantly. And, his dedications to other poets, is such a wonderful discovery.
February 14, 2025
There’s some good ones in here, especially when he writes of snow and passing time. I’m a sucker for that. Ahh, the political ones tho ——— not much art in those.
November 10, 2025
talentless tasteless rubbish
July 10, 2016
Decided to give Bly a try after learning he was good friends with William Stafford. This compilation has many accessible poems and I particularly like the essays from the Point Reyes Poems section. My favorite poem of his, "It's As If Someone Else is With Me," is not printed here in its entirety. This favorite stanza is missing:
The dawn comes. Leaves feel its time
To say something, and I feel myself drawn
To You. I know this is wrong.
To be drawn to You can cause trouble;
I do so against all advice, from that one
In me who saved me by keeping me alone.
I've lived in so many houses, where
You were not. If you became a dock
I became a boat and pushed away.
Those who are drawn to You become land
If You are land, or water if you are water.
I want nothing from You but to See You.
The dawn comes. Leaves feel its time
To say something, and I feel myself drawn
To You. I know this is wrong.
To be drawn to You can cause trouble;
I do so against all advice, from that one
In me who saved me by keeping me alone.
I've lived in so many houses, where
You were not. If you became a dock
I became a boat and pushed away.
Those who are drawn to You become land
If You are land, or water if you are water.
I want nothing from You but to See You.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews