Сад Прозерпины

by Algernon Charles Swinburne, Алджернон Чарльз Суинберн

В книгу вошли стихи А.Ч.Суинберна.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, 19th Century, Victorian, British Literature

Мягкая обложка

First published January 1, 1866

About the author

In musical, often erotic verse, British poet and critic Algernon Charles Swinburne wrote and attacked the conventions of Victorian morality.

This controversial Englishman in his own day invented the roundel form and some novels and contributed to the famous eleventh edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algerno...

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Algernon Charles Swinburne is now one of my favorite poets. There are many philosophical questions addressed here; questions that may not be answered. At the core there is the question of how to address a crisis of faith - and how do you 'return' to faith once that crisis has manifested through your perception of self.

[Kier Scrivener · Rating 4 out of 5]

"That no life lives for ever;
That dead men rise up never;
That even the weariest river
Winds somewhere safe to sea."

I thought this was a beautiful and dark poem that I am completely in love with.

It is one I am re-reading and will continue to because it is darkly marvelous.

Also one that inspires me to write and clears all writer's block.

[Marisol Vazquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I learnt from this poem:

- death is inevitable
- life is composed of small deaths, most leading to rebirths (ex. flowers)
- death is final(no afterlife).
- love and beauty are bound to end, either by time or death.
- Swinburne rejects Christianity and implies there is no proof to what kind of higher power rules our world or if there is any higher power at all. (Agnostic much? same).
- death sets us free from living.

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Series of Unfortunate Events brought me here

[Mayar Mahdy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this many many times at this point, It's really beautiful. I was introduced to Swinburne by A Series of Unfortunate events book 10, which had a quote from this poem that was very touching.
The whole poem is a nice portrayal of the books actually. It's the first thought I had when I heard "Here, where the world is quiet". Swinburne would've made a good volunteer. (not really, though, He'd be an awful volunteer in real life.)

I find it weird that a privileged materialistic person like Swinburne -that what youtube videos call him- could write such a beautiful thing. I see people saying he wasn't a good person and I can't wrap my head around why such beauty would come of a bad person. Talent is weird.

[Fatemeh Rahmani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore how all the descriptions in this poem are rendered so poetically and mythically. Such a serene realm for the goddess of death, Proserpine.

[Nick The Critic · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I am tired of tears and laughter,
And men that laugh and weep;
Of what may come hereafter
For men that sow to reap:
I am weary of days and hours,
Blown buds of barren flowers,
Desires and dreams and powers
And everything but sleep.

Here life has death for neighbour,
And far from eye or ear
Wan waves and wet winds labour,
Weak ships and spirits steer;
They drive adrift, and whither
They wot not who make thither;
But no such winds blow hither,
And no such things grow here."

me and my almost alive toy deer read this with unison apart from each other.

The Garden of Proserpine settles into a very particular kind of mundanity less like dramatic melancholy and more like emotional fatigue stretched into form. It gives a strong boarder and a figure of a person exhausted with life. It doesn’t try to persuade or escalate, or even, have a famous contradictory/experiment-inducing/destructive stanza or part, certainly very famous in poetry, instead, it repeats its own atmosphere until that atmosphere becomes the whole world. That whole world is a very good introductory point of getting into his ecosystem.

it's surprisingly very modern - tone wise
i was shocked to see it was released in the late 1800's. this feels purely out of a late 1900's poem collection or writing. a total charm decoration to the masterful writing.

Life is not argued against so much as quietly set aside, as if it belongs to a system that no longer feels worth engaging with. the poem shares familiar human cycles of depression which I consider to be, from observation & experience

1) sudden change of hue
2) moving out and changing
3) depression
4) intensified melancholia
5) losing the appetite for a specific thing;
considering everything merely as inevitability.

whatever. the poetry
it is truly,
remarkably,
cohesive.

It commits fully to its mood and sustains it without changing abruptly which I reckon poses as a huge issue for a poet, which is its own kind of precision. The result is a work that provokes thoughts more as a sustained state than a narrative progression.

i love it and appreciate it with deeper understanding and relatability.

i can't wait to check out his other works.

it all clicks effortlessly.

[J9 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using blatant and often contradictory imagery, Swinburne shows the complementary relationship of life and death. While this shows off his pessimistic view of life and fatalistic view of death, I think there's more to be had in this poem. It moved me immensely and I found myself relating to the words about death and sorrow. There is allure in life and death and even though Swinburne portrays a somewhat hopeless view, I found beauty and comfort in this work. I found myself repeating some of the lines out loud, and storing tidbits of prose in the back of my mind. I very much enjoyed this and would probably put it at a 4.5. Maybe after a few more readings, even a 5.

Swinburne is often known for his controversial writings that went against the popular belief of his day and for his sexual themes. Someone noted that it was sad that he was often only remembered for that. I'd have to agree.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

From too much love of living,
From hope and fear set free,
We thank with brief thanksgiving
Whatever gods may be
That no life lives for ever;
That dead men rise up never;
That even the weariest river
Winds somewhere safe to sea.

[Caelan♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally stunning. A new favourite. I want to read more of Swinburne's work now!

[narsil]

Certainly the poem I would want inscribed on my gravestone.

[Sol Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to this poem because of an MMOG. However, I absolutely loved this poem and I will be checking out more poetry often.