Description
Book SynopsisWords by the Water is particularly varied and unusually youthful and fresh.
Trade ReviewSmith turns 90 this year, so don't carp about the several previously collected poems in this book. Instead, appreciate the book's exquisite arrangement and the concern of the collection as a whole with linking eras of life and art. -- Ray Olson Booklist 2008 In this utterly delightful book, variety is matched by insight. -- Tom D'Evelyn Providence Journal 2008 Few poets go on writing well into old age, but the Louisiana-born William Jay Smith is one of them. Still going strong, his poetry, marked by great technical skill, is witty and satiric, poignant and humane... Smith's poetry offers sensuous pleasure and intellectual delight. -- Jeffrey Meyers New Criterion 2009 Words by the Water is very much recommended reading for poetry fans. -- James A. Cox Midwest Book Review 2008
Table of ContentsAuthor's Note
Prelude
The Atoll
The Atoll
Of Islands
Note: Palmyra
On His Dark Bed
Reflection
The Garden
The Flight
Note: The Atoll
The Hunt
Willow Wood
Invitation to Ground Zero
Contemplation of Conspiracy
The Poor Peacock and the Rich Peacock
Perfect Lives: Portraits
Riddles
The Artist and the Arena
The Hunt
The Deet and the Dachshund: Light Verse and Satire
Dachshunds
Author, Author
The Literary Life
Epitaphs
On the Banks of the Mississippi
Oxford Doggerel
Translations
Harry Martinson: The Forest of Childhood
Harry Martinson: Peonies
Harry Martinson: The Henhouse
Paul Valéry: Pomegranates
Jules Laforgue: The Far West
Kjell Hjern: On the Growth of Hair in Middle Age
Jean-Max Tixier: Writing
Basho: Haiku
Sándor Weöres: The Lunatic Cyclist
Sándor Weöres: Boundless Space
The Greatest Wealth: Wedding Songs
Now Touch the Air Softly
The Bouquet
Song for a Country Wedding
The Greatest Wealth
Words by the Water
Old Cherokee Woman's Song
Song of the Dispossessed
A Rational Departure
Rhetorical Question
Cats in a Summer Garden
To the Memory of Hubert Creekmore (1907–1966)
A Green Oasis
Woman at the Piano
Words by the Water
Acknowledgments
