River Poems

by Henry Hughes (Editor)

An anthology that explores the power and beauty of rivers through poems from around the world and through the ages. AN EVERYMAN'S LIBRARY POCKET POET.

Rivers were the arteries of our first civilizations—the Tigris and Euphrates of Mesopotamia, India’s Ganges, Egypt’s Nile, the Yellow River of China—and have nourished modern cities from London to New York, so it’s natural that poets have for centuries drawn essential meanings and metaphors from their endless currents.

In this collection, British poets from Shakespeare and Wordsworth to Ted Hughes and Alice Oswald mingle with American voices ranging from verses by the indigenous Klallam people and the African-American spirituals “Deep River” and “Roll, Jordan, Roll” to such recent poets as Gary Snyder, Mary Oliver, and Natasha Tretheway. Walt Whitman’s iconic “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" and Emily Dickinson’s tersely erotic “My River Runs to Thee" stream alongside poems from ancient Babylon and Egypt. Contributions from India, Nepal, Japan, China, Thailand, France, Germany, Russia, Serbia, Chile, Mexico, the Congo, and Nigeria round out this celebration of the rivers of the world.


• “My River Runs to Thee" by Emily Dickinson
• “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes
• “Ol’ Man River” by Oscar Hammerstein II
• “The Golden Boat” by Rabindranath Tagore
• “The River God” by Stevie Smith
• “The River Bends but the Water Does Not” by Buddhādasa Bhikkhu 
• “The Niagara River” by Kay Ryan
• “Amazon” by Pablo Neruda 
 
Everyman's Library pursues the highest production standards, printing on acid-free cream-colored paper, with full-cloth cases with two-color foil stamping, decorative endpapers, silk ribbon markers, European-style half-round spines, and a full-color illustrated jacket.

Genres: Poetry, Nature

256 pages, Hardcover

Published October 4, 2022

Reviews

[Lilli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really lovely and varied collection!!

[LAI · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace- the most beautiful gift I’ve ever received. This book. I ruined the front cover with my sweaty and tear stained hands and nearly half of the book is dogeared in sharp folds. I hope someday someone will read my river poems.

[Troy Farlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

EL always delivers!!!!!!

[Kem White · Rating 5 out of 5]

“River Poems” is a recent addition to the Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets series. The anthologies in this series are all excellent. This one is no exception. The editor takes you on a journey from the headwaters of rivers to the deltas where rivers meet the sea. There are several very old haiku. These are short, but exquisite in their terse beauty. James Reaney’s “To the Avon River, Above Stratford, Canada” was probably my favorite poem in this collection as the poet talks directly to the Avon River and all that is in it. John Burnside’s “Heatwave” is also outstanding that’s slightly erotic. Will Burns’ “Bridges of the Wendover Arm” is also good with its crisp writing and imagery. (“crow-light for the jackdaws to roost by”… love that line). Robinson Jeffers “Salmon-Fishing” and Ruth Pitter’s “The Estuary” are both beautiful. I found only a few clinkers. Alice Oswald’s “From Dart” struck me as pretentious. Tchicaya U Tam’si’s “Brush Fire” bordered on incomprehensibility. This volume is small enough to take anywhere. Highly recommended.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable river-themed anthology.

What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.
-Gerard Manley Hopkins

[Raytown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable. Favourite poems:

Jim Harrison - "River III"
Don McKay - "Night Skating on the Little Paddle River"
Rabindranath Tagore - "The Golden Boat"

[Alex Mattie · Rating 5 out of 5]

i just love the river and it’s wonderful to read poems from people who love the river too

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice (though not amazing) selection of very vivid poetry.

[Lizzytish · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I live by the river, I had to grab this sweet book at my local bookstore. Wonderful pictures and delightful poems. I love the little size and the ribbon bookmark. Makes a great gift also.

[Alexa LoSchiavo · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a beautiful anthology !!