Into the Garden: A Wedding Anthology : Poetry and Prose on Love and Marriage

by Robert Hass (Editor), Stephen Mitchell (Editor)

An anthology of poetry and prose suitable for reading at wedding ceremonies features unconventional readings from Chinese, African, native American, Buddhist, Christian, and other cultures. 35,000 first printing. $35,000 ad/promo.

Genres: Poetry, Anthologies, Nonfiction

193 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Robert Hass was born in San Francisco and lives in Berkeley, California, where he teaches at the University of California. He served as Poet Laureate of the United States from 1995 to 1997. A MacArthur Fellow and a two-time winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, he has published poems, literary essays, and translations. He is married to the poet Brenda Hillman.

Reviews

[Mary-Lisa Russo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pleasant read but alas... there were no electrical sparks here for me. I could not connect with some of the poems... they were a bit dry but I do appreciate the time it took to create this anthology. To be honest, there were other poems I did connect with but they did not have the Byron or Keats effect on me. When I read poetry, I want to feel a rush of emotion that wake up my soul- especially the ones that speak about love. Just because I could not really connect with the contents in the book for personal reasons such as my expectations, does not mean this book would not connect with another reader. I do not regret reading it and hope it brings joy to other readers. 4/5.

[Kavita Favelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me (on an internet newsgroup in the days when decent websites were few and far between) shortly after the first hardback edition was published. I was having a hard time finding non-religious readings that I liked for my upcoming wedding. As it wasn't available in the UK my kindly American aunt found a copy for me and posted it to London.
I found the selection of secular yet spiritual poems absolutely inspiring and was hard pushed to narrow my choice down to 4 for my wedding ceremony in September 1994.
As another reviewer has mentioned, I was very pleased to also find in the book a section containing a number of different wedding ceremony texts and relied on these heavily when writing our own personalised ceremony.
10 years on my husband and I decided to renew our wedding vows in a private ceremony in a remote, favourite holiday destination in Africa. Having misplaced the original hard back copy I didn't hesitate to order a paperback replacement and was just as inspired by the selection as the first time.
The renewal ceremony combined new and fresh passages and readings with a passages and readings we used in the first ceremony and we both feel it was a wonderful experience. Thanks to Robert Haas and Stephen Mitchell for putting this book together and contributing to two wonderful wedding ceremonies.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some better than others.

[Brooke Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely collection of poems and writings about love, spanning a wide variety of styles, perspectives and tones from a spectrum of writers from the Bible to Buddha, from Native American to Ancient Sumerian, featuring many well-known writers and poets. My fiance and I quickly found a reading we both liked, as I imagine most any couple could here. What I found most helpful was the section of ceremonies at the end, representing Protestant, Catholic, Jewish and Taoist traditions. This book was a good starting place for planning our wedding and specifically choosing the words and structure of the service. However, the variety of love poems could appeal to lovers at any stage of a relationship, making this a good book of love poetry to add to your shelf.

[Karyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just found this one in the back of my bookshelf. By far the best book to help you find non-traditional and insightful wedding readings, if you're in the market for that sort of thing. Great selection of writers, and not a lot of sap.

[Roxanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really lovely compilation of love poetry. We're pulling three readings from this book for our ceremony. I liked the choices that Hass and Mitchell made, regarding both the poems they picked and the particular adaptations/translations they chose.

[Corinne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was helpful in allowing my fiancee and I to choose readings for our wedding ceremony. It's well-organized and offers a wide range of selections. It's another one for the bookshelf, because who doesn't need a book of love poems nearby?

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book to have around when someone asks you to recommend a poem for their wedding.

[Tracy O · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you need a poem specifically for a wedding, this is your book - there is something here that you can use. If you don't you will find it a weak collection & not worth your time.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wicked book - great ideas that I'll be using.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful for ideas on wedding readings.

[Tristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice collection of words that could be shared during wedding ceremonies. Could be inspiring in the planning stages of a ceremony as well.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book for someone planning their wedding ceremony. A nice mix of secular and contemporary multi-religious poems and short prose selections

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice collection with good variety, even though I did not find a poem I wanted to use for my wedding. Some lovely verses that aren't too sappy, though it relies on a lot of the old-fashioned staples.

[Gwen Hurd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding carefully curated collection of love poems. Not only for weddings, although it is an amazing resource for planning a ceremony, this book is for anyone who loves love.