Complete Short Poetry

by Louis Zukofsky

The American poet Louis Zukofsky received little public attention during his lifetime, though he was regarded by his literary contemporaries as one of the finest writers in the United States. Now in paperback, Complete Short Poetry gathers all of Zukofsky's poetry outside his 800-page magnum opus entitled " A "--including work that appeared in The Collected Short Poems, 1923-1964 , the experimental transliteration (with Celia Zukofsky) of Catullus, the limited edition 80 Flowers , as well as several fugitive pieces never before collected. "Zukofsky is the American Mallarmé," writes Hugh Kenner, "and given the peculiar intentness of the American preoccupation with language--obsessive, despite what you may read in the newspapers--his work is more disorienting by far than his exemplar's ever was. Mallarmé had a long poetic tradition from which to deviate into philology. Zukofsky received a philological tradition, which he raised to a higher power."

Genres: Poetry, The United States Of America, Literature, American

379 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Louis Zukofsky was one of the most important second-generation American modernist poets. He was co-founder and primary theorist of the Objectivist group of poets and was to be an important influence on subsequent generations of poets in America and abroad.

Reviews

[Fergus, Weaver of Autistic Webs · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Ni vu
Ni connu -
L'espace d'un sein nu
Entre deux chemises!"
Paul Valery, le Sylphe.

Zukofsky, like Stephane Mallarme (or for that matter, Paul Valery, in the space between two blouses) is no longer read - or understood. My own incredulity at such philistinism is better left unmentioned!

Oh well. Blake also wrote to no purpose:

And did those feet in ancient times
Walk on England's mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?

Nil reply. For we've all lost the sense of Ordinary Wonder, as well as the miracle of the everyday.

But not Louis Zukovsky, who saw "the universe in a grain of sand" as well, as in these too-few perfect poems. And how they glitter in the midst of our dystopian now-endless modern night - each a flawless jewel...

And as casual as is our dutiful spring cleaning of nearly-new discards. He KNEW how few read such things.

But Zukovsky, rare master of the written word, probably at least knew they would withstand the test of endless bored time as pure Platonic forms in the Nirvana that transcends all time. And outshines all mere tinsel.

Without ideals we are lost. But Zukovsky lived those ideals armed only with his laughably miniscule arsenal of words. They are enough.

But still, no one much noticed!

Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin -

Is the writing on the wall for this civilization -

Which no longer recognizes any such obvious beauty, just as Belshazar was found sadly lacking in the bitterly prophetic days of Daniel?

[James Murphy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Late last year I immersed myself in Zukofsky's work like lowering myself into a bath. I carefully read the critical biography by Mark Scroggins and used it to re-study and re-annotate key sections of the poem of that life, "A." Only then did I feel ready to tackle these complete poems. Emerging from that long soak, I'm cleaned and wrinkled but chilled because in the end the poetry didn't touch me. The poetry I most admire is that which arranges words to make an image or a thought fresh enough to take my breath away. It's an arrangement allowing me to see and realize the familiar world in a new way. It's philosophical and illuminating at the same time. Zukofsky's poetry is obscure and difficult, and it's hard to put down because of it, but it doesn't affect me like the poetry I most applaud. He seems only technical, emotionless. He's abstract in ways I can't follow. Sometimes he makes no sense at all to me. Reading about flowers, I never saw them. Not even Zukofsky's valentines to his wife moved me, as much as I love love poetry. All of which leads me to think Zukofsky didn't write to share his poetry. These poems seem to be assembled and hammered together more to see what he could do than to form a relationship with the reader. My opinion, of course, and one which doesn't surprise me because I knew it was going to be a demanding read, and maybe unrewarding in the end. I'm aware his reputation is enormous, his influence sweeping. It must be so for reasons beyond my experience.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I may prefer "A", I have read the Complete Shorter Poetry with greater frequency -- there's something joyous in the various musics at work here. Zukofsky's intellect is exceptional -- and some poems (or rather lines within certain poems) elude. But the music never eludes, and the precision in the music is startlingly fresh, time and again. There's no poet in the American tradition to come close to Zukofsky. His peers are Bach and Shakespeare. His audience should be the equivalent of theirs. The introduction by Robert Creeley is really a great treat as well. The vanilla ice cream in the coffee stays with me. As Creeley would say, what great company...

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zukofsky' shorter poems are brilliant. I think I was so dazzled by the brilliance of A that I overlooked his amazing work in shorter forms.

"Further:
The waters
At the ramp
Running away."

This book reminded me of how ahead of his time he was. His grasp on literature and culture is peerless, and he translate it to powerful poems. This is an outstanding book and an essential companion to A.

[James Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

The beauty of this collection is that, along with all the wonderful short lyrics, 80 Flowers, I's, all that perfectly sculpted verse, it also includes the complete Catullus translations, Zuk's homeophonic translations of the SOUND of Catullus. It's well-nigh unreadable in parts, but overall is one of the most unique and monumental (and overlooked) modernist masterpieces.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps a minority opinion (I wonder?), but I believe Zukofsky was at his best in his short poems. From the early graceful little lyrics to the difficult, always lovely late work, this is an essential work of American modernism.

[Cooper Renner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't read every bit of the book. The two final collections, "Catullus" and "80 Flowers", are really heavy wading, in a style I don't adore. The earlier works are various, tender, funny, interesting, difficult.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

the "80 flowers" sequence is recommended oh-so-highly :-)

[M.W.P.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anew is divided into ten parts: I See Thee Late, 55 Poems, Anew, Some Time, Barely and widely, I's (pronounced eyes), After I's, 80 Flowers, and Gamut, along with a translation of Catallus (co-translated by Celia Zukofsky). With the exception of the first and last parts (I See Thee Late and Gamut, which consist of one poem) each part appears to represent a book published by Zukofsky.

From I See Thee Late...

Vast, tremulous;
Grave on grave of water-grave;

Past.

Futurity no more than duration
Of a wave's rise, fall, rebound
Against the shingles, in ever repeated mutation
Of emptied returning sound.

- I Sent Thee Last, pg. 3

From 55 Poems...

Shanty
on the river
with
one window

The unemployed
having
a home
has no home

and no nag
protected
by
the United States' flag -

each animal
his own gravedigger
almost
sings

who will
walk out
against
the

social
and political
order of
things

- The Immediate Aim, 3, pg. 55-56

From Anew...

A last cigarette
a companion

dark, spring's
green smells

and the work
is in mind

a love's
unclouding it

the spontaneous
idea

is not yet
called up

a green light
of the subway
entrance

to let spring ask
is the world

at the World's Fair
any more
than an action sings.

Science, too, posted
after all smells

carefully fostering
cadres

not grudging
time

patiently
"bothering."

- Anew, 13, pg. 83-84

From Some Time...

thinking of
Billy

The kid
shoots
to
kill,

But to
the expanse
of his
mind

who head
that word
before,

scape
of a
letter

soars
with the
rest of
the letter

gulled by
the kid's
self-sacrifice:

reach
C
a cover - call it
Carlos:

smell W
double U
two W's,
ravine and
runnel:

these
sing
high

in
high
fog

which
as
it
lifts,

the other
world
is
there:

the sight
moves -
open -

soothes

smoothes
over

the
same word

that
may have,
to touch,

two faces -
the heart
sees into -
of one
sound:

the
kid
's torn,
shot

so quickly
it sounds
water:

purls

a
high
voice

as with
a lien
on
the sky

that becomes
low now
frankly

water -

called also -

softly -

a kill.

- William Carlos Williams alive!, pg. 148-151

From Barely and widely...

The buried
bear
on
the ashtray

shows more
flare
than the
tramp

in his whip
tho
perhaps
enough's

there
to
give them
heart.

- Ashtray, pg. 170

From I's (pronounced eyes)...

He has wit -
but who has more -

who looks
some way more

withal

than
one eye

weeps, his voice

- A B C, pg. 216

From After I's...

There is
a heart

has no
complaint

better a-
part

than
faint

so the
faintest

part of
it

has no
complaint -

a
part.

- Finally a Valentine, pg. 240

From 80 Flowers...

Honesty lunar year annual anew
birdsong your lifelode blazing sunned
moon Lionmane Sickle quiet waiting
strings inner pegbox no angry
dew more alive once believed
picklock unshodding horseshoes from lofting
hooves iron zeal each lentilled
seedpod somehow mirrors luck's horseshoe

- Honesty, pg. 326

From Gamut...

Much ado about trees lichen
hugs alga and fungus live
off each other hoe does
dear owe dear earth terrace
money sunday coffee poorjoe snow

- Gamut, pg. 355

[michal k-c · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zukofsky has been a favourite of mine ever since encountering excerpts of “A” in undergrad American Poetry classes. Most of this was a re-read / refresh, though his Catullus was new to me (and so abstracted, composed and decomposed). I believe Zukofsky’s “Poem Beginning ‘The’” is a masterpiece on the level of The Waste Land, a high watermark of imagist epistemology. Zukofsky is maybe my pick for American poet who best wrestled with the perceptual basis of poetry, the resolution of historical particulars in language, and the actual art form itself as an object (and the technique to achieving that end). He’s a master! Might commit to re-reading all of “A” in the new year.

[m]

mantis and zukofsky’s interview with l.s. dembo discussing mantis literally changed me

[Peter Prokopiev]

It was rare that i understand what Z. is going for.
Having read the book, I cannot think of any line I found memorable, everything has left my mind.

[Bren]

'80 flowers' is really amazing

[Michael]

But only the Catullus and Flowers section.

[Humphrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zukofsky is the BEST!