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Dark of the Moon
1930. Teasdale's work has always been characterized by its simplicity and clarity, her use of classical forms, and her passionate and romantic subject matter. In 1918, she won the Columbia University Poetry Society Prize (which became the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry) and the Poetry Society of America Prize for Love Songs. She later committed suicide. Her collection of poems, Dark of the Moon, is considered one of her major works. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.
- GenresPoetry
92 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1926
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121 people want to read
About the author
Sara Teasdale
208 books285 followersSara Teasdale was an American lyrical poet. She was born Sara Trevor Teasdale in St. Louis, Missouri, and after her marriage in 1914 she went by the name Sara Teasdale Filsinger.
Teasdale's first poem was published in Reedy's Mirror, a local newspaper, in 1907. Her first collection of poems, Sonnets to Duse and Other Poems, was published that same year.
Teasdale's second collection of poems, Helen of Troy and Other Poems, was published in 1911. It was well received by critics, who praised its lyrical mastery and romantic subject matter.
In the years 1911 to 1914, Teasdale was courted by several men, including poet Vachel Lindsay, who was absolutely in love with her but did not feel that he could provide enough money or stability to keep her satisfied. She chose instead to marry Ernst Filsinger, who had been an admirer of her poetry for a number of years, on December 19, 1914.
Teasdale's third poetry collection, Rivers to the Sea, was published in 1915 and was a best seller, being reprinted several times. A year later, in 1916 she moved to New York City with Filsinger, where they resided in an Upper West Side apartment on Central Park West.
In 1918, her poetry collection Love Songs (released 1917) won three awards: the Columbia University Poetry Society prize, the 1918 Pulitzer Prize for poetry and the annual prize of the Poetry Society of America.
Filsinger was away a lot on business which caused a lot of loneliness for Teasdale. In 1929, she moved interstate for three months, thereby satisfying the criteria to gain a divorce. She did not wish to inform Filsinger, and only did so at the insistence of her lawyers as the divorce was going through - Filsinger was shocked and surprised.
Post-divorce, Teasdale remained in New York City, living only two blocks away from her old home on Central Park West. She rekindled her friendship with Vachel Lindsay, who was by this time married with children.
In 1933, she committed suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. Her friend Vachel Lindsay had committed suicide two years earlier. She is interred in the Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.
-taken from: Wikipedia
Teasdale's first poem was published in Reedy's Mirror, a local newspaper, in 1907. Her first collection of poems, Sonnets to Duse and Other Poems, was published that same year.
Teasdale's second collection of poems, Helen of Troy and Other Poems, was published in 1911. It was well received by critics, who praised its lyrical mastery and romantic subject matter.
In the years 1911 to 1914, Teasdale was courted by several men, including poet Vachel Lindsay, who was absolutely in love with her but did not feel that he could provide enough money or stability to keep her satisfied. She chose instead to marry Ernst Filsinger, who had been an admirer of her poetry for a number of years, on December 19, 1914.
Teasdale's third poetry collection, Rivers to the Sea, was published in 1915 and was a best seller, being reprinted several times. A year later, in 1916 she moved to New York City with Filsinger, where they resided in an Upper West Side apartment on Central Park West.
In 1918, her poetry collection Love Songs (released 1917) won three awards: the Columbia University Poetry Society prize, the 1918 Pulitzer Prize for poetry and the annual prize of the Poetry Society of America.
Filsinger was away a lot on business which caused a lot of loneliness for Teasdale. In 1929, she moved interstate for three months, thereby satisfying the criteria to gain a divorce. She did not wish to inform Filsinger, and only did so at the insistence of her lawyers as the divorce was going through - Filsinger was shocked and surprised.
Post-divorce, Teasdale remained in New York City, living only two blocks away from her old home on Central Park West. She rekindled her friendship with Vachel Lindsay, who was by this time married with children.
In 1933, she committed suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. Her friend Vachel Lindsay had committed suicide two years earlier. She is interred in the Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.
-taken from: Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 6, 2024
This little poetry collection is perfect for reading in the fall. Very atmospheric, meditative, spell-binding. Many poems take place specifically during autumn, and many are focused on nature. I enjoyed it a lot! I'm glad I randomly discovered Teasdale in an anthology and ordered a poetry collection of her own.
January 28, 2021
I found this book in the "less than $5 poetry bin" at Atlanta Vintage Books. The first page captured my attention
"Katherine Duncan Upham Hunter
Claremont
New Hampshire
Cupola Farm
-Elizabeth
Xmas 1926"
I never heard of Sara Teasdale before. I loved the book. I loved her deep, sensual words... sometimes of joy and sometimes bare pain.
When I read her story, it became more clear to me- she was a talented, in love, sensitive soul. Teasdale was born on August 8, 1884. From 1911 to 1914 Teasdale was courted by several men, including the poet Vachel Lindsay, who was truly in love with her but did not feel that he could provide enough money or stability to keep her satisfied. - This love I believe defined her in her work and choices in life. She chose to marry Ernst Filsinger, a longtime admirer of her poetry, on December 19, 1914. In 1918 she won a Pulitzer Prize for her 1917 poetry collection Love Songs.
In 1929, she divorced Filsinger and rekindled her friendship with Vachel Lindsay, who was now married with children. In 1933, she died by suicide, overdosing on sleeping pills. Lindsay had died by suicide two years earlier.
This poem hit me hard after reading her story:
The Flight
"We are two eagles
Flying together
Under the heavens,
Over the mountains,
Stretched on the wind.
Sunlight heartens us,
Blind snow baffles us,
Clouds wheel after us
Ravelled and thinned.
We are like eagles
But when Death harries us,
Human and humbled
When one of us goes,
Let the other follow,
Let the flight be ended,
Let the fire blacken,
Let the book close.”
Katherine Duncan Upham Hunter- recipient of this excellent book back in 1926, died on Monday, April 17, 2017, at the age of 103. The daughter of Arthur and Edna (Wright) Holmes, she was born in Washington, DC on April 12, 1914. She graduated from Stoneham High School in Massachusetts in 1932 and earned her bachelor of science degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1936. She also attended Katherine Gibbs In Boston.
Mary married Duncan Upham Hunter of West Claremont on June 10, 1939. Duncan served in the U.S. Army Engineers during the Second World War in the South Pacific. This Army service lead her to be a life-long supporter of the American Red Cross. She also served the Ladies Union Aid Society at the Claremont Hospital during the War and was President from 1946 to 1948.
An abiding interest in local history lead to Mary’s service to the Claremont Historical Society, the West Claremont Burying Ground and Historic Deerfield of Deerfield, Mass. She was also interested in the history of the Sullivan Machinery Company (now Joy Manufacturing), in which her husband’s family was involved from its founding.
Two women- very different- crossed each other in this short, amazing thing called life and moved on.
"Katherine Duncan Upham Hunter
Claremont
New Hampshire
Cupola Farm
-Elizabeth
Xmas 1926"
I never heard of Sara Teasdale before. I loved the book. I loved her deep, sensual words... sometimes of joy and sometimes bare pain.
When I read her story, it became more clear to me- she was a talented, in love, sensitive soul. Teasdale was born on August 8, 1884. From 1911 to 1914 Teasdale was courted by several men, including the poet Vachel Lindsay, who was truly in love with her but did not feel that he could provide enough money or stability to keep her satisfied. - This love I believe defined her in her work and choices in life. She chose to marry Ernst Filsinger, a longtime admirer of her poetry, on December 19, 1914. In 1918 she won a Pulitzer Prize for her 1917 poetry collection Love Songs.
In 1929, she divorced Filsinger and rekindled her friendship with Vachel Lindsay, who was now married with children. In 1933, she died by suicide, overdosing on sleeping pills. Lindsay had died by suicide two years earlier.
This poem hit me hard after reading her story:
The Flight
"We are two eagles
Flying together
Under the heavens,
Over the mountains,
Stretched on the wind.
Sunlight heartens us,
Blind snow baffles us,
Clouds wheel after us
Ravelled and thinned.
We are like eagles
But when Death harries us,
Human and humbled
When one of us goes,
Let the other follow,
Let the flight be ended,
Let the fire blacken,
Let the book close.”
Katherine Duncan Upham Hunter- recipient of this excellent book back in 1926, died on Monday, April 17, 2017, at the age of 103. The daughter of Arthur and Edna (Wright) Holmes, she was born in Washington, DC on April 12, 1914. She graduated from Stoneham High School in Massachusetts in 1932 and earned her bachelor of science degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1936. She also attended Katherine Gibbs In Boston.
Mary married Duncan Upham Hunter of West Claremont on June 10, 1939. Duncan served in the U.S. Army Engineers during the Second World War in the South Pacific. This Army service lead her to be a life-long supporter of the American Red Cross. She also served the Ladies Union Aid Society at the Claremont Hospital during the War and was President from 1946 to 1948.
An abiding interest in local history lead to Mary’s service to the Claremont Historical Society, the West Claremont Burying Ground and Historic Deerfield of Deerfield, Mass. She was also interested in the history of the Sullivan Machinery Company (now Joy Manufacturing), in which her husband’s family was involved from its founding.
Two women- very different- crossed each other in this short, amazing thing called life and moved on.
July 17, 2018
about 6 keepers here.
December 23, 2023
A friend gave me this book with a copyright of 1926 some years back. I had only read bits of it but This week I picked it up and found it was beautifully written poetry. Sara Teasdale had a gift for describing emotions and nature.
So thank you to my friend for this book.
So thank you to my friend for this book.
April 1, 2019
i want to give this five stars just for the experience of finding a book that was bound in 1926 and being able to check it out of a library in 2019. i am being completely honest when i say that was an utter thrill
although i can admittedly be more resistant to poems with a rhyming format, i really enjoyed most of these. there's a very sad but beautiful kind of introspection that i will definitely be revisiting in the future.
although i can admittedly be more resistant to poems with a rhyming format, i really enjoyed most of these. there's a very sad but beautiful kind of introspection that i will definitely be revisiting in the future.
July 4, 2021
This book of poems is one of my first I’ve ever read, and I loved it. I discovered Sara Teasdale after using one of her poems for a school project, and I was so fascinated by her prose. These poems are so atmospheric and introspective. “When I am Not With You” and “Never Again” made me tear up. Her use of imagery in ALL of these is stunning and not over the top so the poems are understandable still. One of my new favorite poets. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys poetry at all.
August 21, 2018
these were sad
June 18, 2021
3.5. Some lovely, while others flat.
October 24, 2021
Great!
Read
July 17, 2022Imagistic poems that are a fairly good introduction to imagism. It's also in the public domain, so can be found for free online.
Read
August 22, 2021so beautiful i read them aloud to myself
November 25, 2009
Teasdale is definitely older and more introspective in this volume (compared to Rivers to the Sea). These poems are more about nature, her inner life, and what she was contributing and experiencing. She's lost some of the wistfulness for love, and seems to have replaced it with a general longing for life in general.
January 1, 2026
Ringing in the new year with some more Sara Teasdale!
My favorites from this one: "August Night," "Two Minds," "Words for An Old Air," "At Tintagil," "Autumn (Parc Monceau)," "Land’s End," "Low Tide," "Twilight (Nahant)," "Not by the Sea," "The Crystal Gazer," "February Twilight," "Autumn Dusk," "When I Am Not With You," and "Let It Be You."
My favorites from this one: "August Night," "Two Minds," "Words for An Old Air," "At Tintagil," "Autumn (Parc Monceau)," "Land’s End," "Low Tide," "Twilight (Nahant)," "Not by the Sea," "The Crystal Gazer," "February Twilight," "Autumn Dusk," "When I Am Not With You," and "Let It Be You."
February 10, 2010
Have an older edition that I found in a wonderful little used book store in Madison, WI.. One of my favorite books..
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews