What do you think?
Rate this book
Black Lab
David Young, the distinguished poet and translator, offers us a gorgeous cycle of poems attuned to the Midwestern seasons—to weather both emotional and actual. A writer of thrilling invention and humanity, Young beckons the reader into an effortless proximity with the fox at the field’s edge, with the chattering crow and the startling first daffodils of spring. In his tour of both exterior and interior landscapes, the poet scatters his father’s ashes and remembers losing his wife, Chloe, to cancer, a loss at times still fresh after several decades; pays homage to the wisdom of the Chinese masters whose aesthetic has helped shape his own; and reflects on the gladdening qualities of a walk in a snowstorm with his black labrador, Nemo:
and in this snowfall that I should detest,
late March and early April, I’m still rapt
to see his coat so constellated, starred, re-starred,
making a comic cosmos I can love.
Young’s expert shaping of this world in which, as he writes, “We’re never going to get God right. But we / learn to love all our failures on the way,” becomes for the reader a fresh experience of life’s mysterious goodness and of the abundant pleasure of the language that embodies it.
and in this snowfall that I should detest,
late March and early April, I’m still rapt
to see his coat so constellated, starred, re-starred,
making a comic cosmos I can love.
Young’s expert shaping of this world in which, as he writes, “We’re never going to get God right. But we / learn to love all our failures on the way,” becomes for the reader a fresh experience of life’s mysterious goodness and of the abundant pleasure of the language that embodies it.
- GenresPoetry
68 pages, Hardcover
First published February 21, 2006
2 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
David Young
69 books5 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
David Pollock Young was an American poet, translator, editor, literary critic and professor. His work includes 11 volumes of poetry, translations from Italian, Chinese, German, Czech, Dutch, and Spanish, critical work on Shakespeare, Yeats, and modernist poets, and landmark anthologies of prose poetry and magical realism. He co-founded and edited the magazine FIELD: Contemporary Poetry and Poetics for its 50 years of publication. Young was Longman Professor Emeritus of English at Oberlin College, and was the recipient of awards including NEA and Guggenheim fellowships.
David Pollock Young was an American poet, translator, editor, literary critic and professor. His work includes 11 volumes of poetry, translations from Italian, Chinese, German, Czech, Dutch, and Spanish, critical work on Shakespeare, Yeats, and modernist poets, and landmark anthologies of prose poetry and magical realism. He co-founded and edited the magazine FIELD: Contemporary Poetry and Poetics for its 50 years of publication. Young was Longman Professor Emeritus of English at Oberlin College, and was the recipient of awards including NEA and Guggenheim fellowships.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 10 reviews
March 16, 2018
I loved Young's recent translation of Bashō's haiku so much that I picked this up, hoping I'd enjoy Young's original poetry as well. I was also curious about Young's sensibilities as a poet and how much of the haiku was him and how much was Bashō.
I can only say that there's a similar straightforwardness in Young's poetry and his translations. Many of the poems in this volume are occupied with aging and death, which can be a bit heavy as they lack, say, Billy Collins's whimsy, but Young's language is light and flexible and in that he does remind me somewhat of Collins. Young's poetry is filled with slow, uncurling metaphor, gentle humor, and undemanding imagery—observational poetry with a touch of the surreal. I liked it.
This volume is broken up into four sections, and I had a marked preference for the poems in the first section, especially "January 3, 2003," and "Dawn on the Winter Solstice," as the language and subject matter were more appealing to me. From the second section, I enjoyed the easy nursery rhymes of "Sally and the Sun," though it felt more like an experiment of words rather than any attempt to impart meaning. Which, in general, is my feeling about the rest of the book. The later sections have some prose poems and poems in reference to other artists or eras that I didn't get much from. They felt more abstract, but personally so, like the poet was getting more out of writing them than I was getting from reading them. But I did enjoy the first ten poems, and might search out more of his writing.
I can only say that there's a similar straightforwardness in Young's poetry and his translations. Many of the poems in this volume are occupied with aging and death, which can be a bit heavy as they lack, say, Billy Collins's whimsy, but Young's language is light and flexible and in that he does remind me somewhat of Collins. Young's poetry is filled with slow, uncurling metaphor, gentle humor, and undemanding imagery—observational poetry with a touch of the surreal. I liked it.
This volume is broken up into four sections, and I had a marked preference for the poems in the first section, especially "January 3, 2003," and "Dawn on the Winter Solstice," as the language and subject matter were more appealing to me. From the second section, I enjoyed the easy nursery rhymes of "Sally and the Sun," though it felt more like an experiment of words rather than any attempt to impart meaning. Which, in general, is my feeling about the rest of the book. The later sections have some prose poems and poems in reference to other artists or eras that I didn't get much from. They felt more abstract, but personally so, like the poet was getting more out of writing them than I was getting from reading them. But I did enjoy the first ten poems, and might search out more of his writing.
August 28, 2025
i adored young’s poetry, which felt like bridging the gap between poetic prose and prosaic (pos.) poetry. some felt a little on the nose, not leaving for much interpretation, others were beautiful and profound and left me breathless or crying. young is just as in love with the natural world as i am, and it’s so gorgeous to see that reflected in better words than i could ever express :)
November 22, 2019
Poetry and I continue to be fickle friends.
Read
November 16, 2011Black Lab by David Young
Random House, Inc., New York, 2008.
This is the first book that I have read that is a compilation of poems rather than a narrative fiction. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, and how well the poems flowed together. Black Lab truly did tell a story, or rather multiple stories, of David Young’s life, and lessons he has learned, and feelings or thoughts that he has had.
Black lab holds a collection of poems that while separate also are connected, and effortlessly flows from one to the next. In this book, Young shares with the reader difficult times in his life, for instance the passing of his loved ones. He also talks about ancient philosophers, and weather, and nature; all of this to tell a story, his story, about what he has been through and how he sees the world because of it.
One thing I loved while reading Black Lab is that it is easy to see that the poems were placed in a specific order in the book. They not only just feel right in this order, but meaning could also be drawn from it. On page seven, there is a poem describing his father’s struggle and loss to old age and illness, on page eight a poem describes David Young and his siblings putting his father’s ashes in a cemetery, and on page thirty-eight a poem describes how even an everyday task like walking his dog can sometimes make him remember and miss his father. The close placement of the first two poems could represent how fast his dad’s death must have felt to him at the time. The fact that his father is not mentioned again until thirty pages later could show that even years after his dad’s passing Young still missed him. This poem is set between other poems of loss, which could represent how losing someone can force you to remember other loved ones you have lost in the past.
The poems in Black Lab use different styles and conventions. All of the poems are simple and relatively short, but they also have a complex edge to them. This is why I believe the poems reflect Young’s thoughts; pure thoughts are simple and full of emotion, but also have intricate base to them that ties with other thoughts and allows them to be written and expressed in beautiful word and poems. Some of the poems in Black Lab use strictly short lines while others use long lines, some rhyme while others do not, some have conventional punctuation, and still more have no punctuation at all, some are even prose poems; each is unique and no two are the same. Even poems with similar formats are different. A Doctor’s History, one of my favorite poems in the book, is written completely in couplets with very conventional punctuation and capitalization. March 10, 2001, is also written in couplets, but the only capitalized word is the first word, the only punctuation is the period at the end of the last line, and even some of the spacing is different in some places, as though telling the reader to pause where the extra space is because there is no comma to indicate the needed pause. So while poems in Black Lab can be similar, there is always an aspect present to make the poem stand out and be unique.
Black Lab has such a vast assortment of poems that I am sure any reader could find at least one within the book that fits his or her tastes. Any writer could draw inspiration from something in this book. David Young touches on too many subjects and in too many ways for his work to not resonate with everyone somehow.
Random House, Inc., New York, 2008.
This is the first book that I have read that is a compilation of poems rather than a narrative fiction. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, and how well the poems flowed together. Black Lab truly did tell a story, or rather multiple stories, of David Young’s life, and lessons he has learned, and feelings or thoughts that he has had.
Black lab holds a collection of poems that while separate also are connected, and effortlessly flows from one to the next. In this book, Young shares with the reader difficult times in his life, for instance the passing of his loved ones. He also talks about ancient philosophers, and weather, and nature; all of this to tell a story, his story, about what he has been through and how he sees the world because of it.
One thing I loved while reading Black Lab is that it is easy to see that the poems were placed in a specific order in the book. They not only just feel right in this order, but meaning could also be drawn from it. On page seven, there is a poem describing his father’s struggle and loss to old age and illness, on page eight a poem describes David Young and his siblings putting his father’s ashes in a cemetery, and on page thirty-eight a poem describes how even an everyday task like walking his dog can sometimes make him remember and miss his father. The close placement of the first two poems could represent how fast his dad’s death must have felt to him at the time. The fact that his father is not mentioned again until thirty pages later could show that even years after his dad’s passing Young still missed him. This poem is set between other poems of loss, which could represent how losing someone can force you to remember other loved ones you have lost in the past.
The poems in Black Lab use different styles and conventions. All of the poems are simple and relatively short, but they also have a complex edge to them. This is why I believe the poems reflect Young’s thoughts; pure thoughts are simple and full of emotion, but also have intricate base to them that ties with other thoughts and allows them to be written and expressed in beautiful word and poems. Some of the poems in Black Lab use strictly short lines while others use long lines, some rhyme while others do not, some have conventional punctuation, and still more have no punctuation at all, some are even prose poems; each is unique and no two are the same. Even poems with similar formats are different. A Doctor’s History, one of my favorite poems in the book, is written completely in couplets with very conventional punctuation and capitalization. March 10, 2001, is also written in couplets, but the only capitalized word is the first word, the only punctuation is the period at the end of the last line, and even some of the spacing is different in some places, as though telling the reader to pause where the extra space is because there is no comma to indicate the needed pause. So while poems in Black Lab can be similar, there is always an aspect present to make the poem stand out and be unique.
Black Lab has such a vast assortment of poems that I am sure any reader could find at least one within the book that fits his or her tastes. Any writer could draw inspiration from something in this book. David Young touches on too many subjects and in too many ways for his work to not resonate with everyone somehow.
February 16, 2011
This collection of poetry by David Young is very well written and appealing, and much of it is deep. Some of it is a little plain and feels undeveloped, but Black Lab has a variety of writing in it, everything from short stories, to structured poetry and even free-writing. The book itself is fairly short, and some of the writing is less than a fourth of a page, but Young usually makes use of the small spaces fairly well. When applied, some of his work is strong and to the point, but most of it is written out in a very beautiful way.
To start, his poetry is the stronger aspect of the book. Many of his works give a sense of spirituality to it, and myself being nonreligious, I always rather have someone just express their love of something without branding it. And Young does just that. Instead of writing how he feels whole because a specific brand of God made itself to him, he describes how a particular event has brought him to feel something, or something to fill a void he expresses in his work. Again, personally irreligious, Young does a good job of not developing a pressure of his belief, and comes off as a nice conversation.
The short stories in Black Lab are not outstanding compared to his poetry, but they do stand ground compared to many others. His stories illustrate the brilliant outdoors, an atmosphere that is slowly disappearing from this planet. Young helps to bring the outside in with most of his stories, condensing the minute details of the untraveled path, or of the close forest. He even has a beautiful description of what is just around you, sitting in the comfort of your home, and what you can find near. All in all, his short stories utilize many of the senses available through writing, mostly giving you a sense of scent and just the feeling of the outdoors. Yet when he deters from the outdoors, his writing isn't as structured, but rather out of place.
Other times, Young uses fun poetic styles, which seem to be challenges that Young decided to try and conquer. Some of them are done very well, but again, some are just part of a mix bag. Young attempted doing pieces that are poetic lines with the beginning of each individual line starting with a letter of the alphabet, in order. He also tried another story that has each line begin with a same word interchanging, and other times just repeats words for lines at a time. His works are usually done playing with the first word of each line.
David Young has his own style of writing, and nearly uses it to it's full potential. As a good representation as a basic reader, I may not be appreciating all there is to his stories, but everything that was found was very well done. His stories can help to catch emotion, can create longings for the great outdoors, and can give you a new respect for a genre of writing that is still not appreciated as widely as it needs to be. Black Lab is a Four out of Five and a personal favorite for short poetry and short stories.
To start, his poetry is the stronger aspect of the book. Many of his works give a sense of spirituality to it, and myself being nonreligious, I always rather have someone just express their love of something without branding it. And Young does just that. Instead of writing how he feels whole because a specific brand of God made itself to him, he describes how a particular event has brought him to feel something, or something to fill a void he expresses in his work. Again, personally irreligious, Young does a good job of not developing a pressure of his belief, and comes off as a nice conversation.
The short stories in Black Lab are not outstanding compared to his poetry, but they do stand ground compared to many others. His stories illustrate the brilliant outdoors, an atmosphere that is slowly disappearing from this planet. Young helps to bring the outside in with most of his stories, condensing the minute details of the untraveled path, or of the close forest. He even has a beautiful description of what is just around you, sitting in the comfort of your home, and what you can find near. All in all, his short stories utilize many of the senses available through writing, mostly giving you a sense of scent and just the feeling of the outdoors. Yet when he deters from the outdoors, his writing isn't as structured, but rather out of place.
Other times, Young uses fun poetic styles, which seem to be challenges that Young decided to try and conquer. Some of them are done very well, but again, some are just part of a mix bag. Young attempted doing pieces that are poetic lines with the beginning of each individual line starting with a letter of the alphabet, in order. He also tried another story that has each line begin with a same word interchanging, and other times just repeats words for lines at a time. His works are usually done playing with the first word of each line.
David Young has his own style of writing, and nearly uses it to it's full potential. As a good representation as a basic reader, I may not be appreciating all there is to his stories, but everything that was found was very well done. His stories can help to catch emotion, can create longings for the great outdoors, and can give you a new respect for a genre of writing that is still not appreciated as widely as it needs to be. Black Lab is a Four out of Five and a personal favorite for short poetry and short stories.
June 25, 2009
Poetry is so subjective. There's a lot of good stuff here, in my opinion.
August 13, 2009
made me feel happy. especially loved "Ovid was always there" and "walking home on an early spring evening"
September 23, 2009
I especially enjoyed Young's Chinese-influenced poems, and particularly the first one about his black Labrador and the last one about "The Hour of Blue Snow."
December 18, 2016
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14329499
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14329499
Displaying 1 - 9 of 10 reviews