Way Down (Princeton Series of Contemporary Poets) [Hardcover]

John Burt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1988 | Series: Princeton Series of Contemporary Poets

"For the sake of contraption (like Frost) and of character (like Robinson), John Burt will do a great deal, and his scope and scansion require a great deal, for his theme is nothing less than the reinvention of heroism (King Mark, Mary of Nazareth, St. Francis, Paolo and Francesca, Ariadne) and the invention of a new heroics (Woodrow Wilson, Willard Gibbs). As attentive to ekphrasis as to the sonnet's narrow room, Burt feels what he knows, and he knows that we can learn from the past only by repeating it. A grand achievement!" --Richard HowardAlmost all these poems are narrative, telling stories that turn on some small but crucial shift of sensibility. One hears in them a speaking rather than a singing voice, a voice which, for all its formality and gravity, remains oral and sociable, a voice which tells things rather than spins charms. Their predominant mood is lucid asperity, sometimes breaking out into the angry Calvinism they always barely keep down, sometimes striving to achieve a humane skepticism that always just eludes them.The book consists of two sections, one concerned with the cruxes and contradictions of private feeling, the other with the unraveling of the public world. Each section centers on a long narrative poem that culminates the building tensions of the poems that precede it and makes possible the resolutions that follow them.Sonnet I from "St. Francis and the Wolf" Saved at last, not at the last of me, I knelt two-legged, made of guttural air A little yelp to sound like human prayer. The saints were cautious, understandably.I took the cup, and managed not to drool, But dreamed the wine was blood, as I'd been taught, And vainly curbed the vain bent of my thought. Iknew myself an angel, felt a fool.Could God have erred in making teeth and maw? Then for his glory I will bite the lamb Whose terror he transmogrifies to awe That I may do his service as I am, Till as I am I leap the mortal gulf To rage in heaven, a perfected wolf.

Editorial Reviews

Review

After The Thunderstorm
Andrew Ramsay At The Somme
Ariadne
Ballet Academy
The Blind Girl
The Brick Arch
The Bridesmaid
From The Diary Of Willard Gibbs
The Funeral Day
Grayson On The Plains Of Peace
His Kind-hearted Woman
The Homecoming Of Bran
In The Subway
King Mark's Dream
Learning The Table
Leonce Pontellier
Mariana In The Moated Grange
Nocturne
On The Will To Believe
Paolo And Francesca
Photograph From Luzon, 1899
Photograph Of Wilson ...
The Plague-maiden
Rich Blind Minotaur Led By A Girl
Robert Flacon Scott Enters Paradise
Senator Fall's Report
Songs Of Innocence
Sonnets For Mary Of Nazareth
St. Francis And The Wolf
Teratocarcinoma
They Sing Die Winterreise ...
Thomaston Dam
Trucks On A Hill In Winter
Waiting For Birds
Winter: Hunters In Snow
The Zeppelin Watchers
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

Product Details

• Hardcover: 88 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr (April 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691067279
• ISBN-13: 978-0691067278
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,119,101 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crystalline images of great beauty and power, August 15, 2000

By 

Daniel Bonevac (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Way Down (Princeton Series of Contemporary Poets) (Hardcover)

This is perhaps my favorite volume of poetry. John Burt manages, with a spare, almost Spartan lyricism, to portray crystalline images of great beauty and power. He captures a wide range of emotions with subtlety in such poems as "Ballet Academy" and "From the Diary of Willard Gibbs." He treats philosophical themes adeptly and persuasively in such poems as "Andrew Ramsey at the Somme" and "Learning the Table." And he astounds the reader with the drama and surprises of poems such as "The Plague-Maiden," "The Zeppelin Watchers," and "The Homecoming of Bran." All of these have remained sharp in my mind long after a first reading-- and have inspired me to read them again and again. An evening with a John Burt volume is a rare treat. The state of American poetry would be worth cheering even if this volume were its only instance.

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, April 9, 2010

By 

R. S. Bryant "SB" (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Way Down (Princeton Series of Contemporary Poets) (Hardcover)

John Burt is a talented poet, and I enjoyed reading his collection from "The Way Down." This book is split into two sections. The first section is called "The Triumph of Love," which focuses on feelings. The second section is "Pueblo Fairgrounds," and the focus is on the world, such as war. Burt uses poetry to describe feelings and ask questions. In the poem "Leonce Potellier: II" Burt writes "Who does not love a dying thing loves death." Burt takes the story "The Awakening" and turns it into poetry. Throughout the poem, Leonce is trying to win back the love of his wife, Edna, who has fallen for an uncommitted Frenchman. Burt makes Leonce a hero, who tries to save his wife from drowning in the sea, but to no avail. This poem is quite descriptive in the feelings a man has for his wife and the questions that arise, but in the end, Leonce is unable to save his wife and death separates their love. "The Zeppelin Watchers" is a poem in the second portion of the book, describing the life of soldiers who watch ever so carefully to make sure "the coast is clear." All day they practice shooting, play card games, and wait. Burt is able to take the topic of war and make it relatable to those who have experienced the unease of just waiting, passing the time with cards, and listening to the crickets each night. Burt is able to take a known topic, such as war, or a character from another piece of literature, such as Leonce, and describe each through poetry. This book is full of different characters, from Paolo and Francesca, to St. Francis, and Burt has the skill and the talent of making their world into a poem. "The Way Down" is recommendable to all who enjoy known characters and history in a twist of poetry.