Anterooms by Richard Wilbur

882019 Anterooms by Richard Wilbur

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Richard WilburTwice Winner of the Pulitzer Prize

N E W P O E M S A N D T R A N S L A T I O N S

Anterooms



Anterooms

983144983151983157983143983144983156983151983150 983149 983145983142 983142 983148 983145983150 983144983137 983154983139983151983157983154983156

Boston New York 983090983088983089983088

Richard Wilbur

New Poems and Translations



Copyright copy 2010 by Richard Wilbur

all rights reserved

For information about permission to reproduce

selections from this book write to Permissions

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

215 Park Avenue South New York New York 10003

wwwhmhbookscom

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wilbur Richard dateAnterooms new poems and translations Richard Wilbur

p cm

isbn 978-0-547-35811-6

I Title

ps3545i32165a8 2010

811rsquo52 mdash dc22 2010005772

Book design by Melissa Lotfy

Printed in the United States of America

doc 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1



Contents

The House 1

I

A Measuring Worm 5

Flying 7

Psalm 9

Young Orchard 11

Anterooms 13

Trismegistus 15

Terza Rima 17

Galveston 1961 19

A Pasture Poem 21

Ecclesiastes 111 23

Soon 25

II

Steacutephane Mallarmeacute The Tomb of Edgar Poe 29

Paul Verlaine An Unpublished Poem 31

Horace II 10 33

Joseph Brodsky Two Nativity Poems 35



III

Out Here 41

The Censor 43

A Reckoning 45

A Prelude 47

The Presidentrsquos Song to the Baron 49

Some Words Inside of Words 51

IV

Thirty-seven Riddles from Symphosius 55



1

The House

Sometimes on waking she would close her eyes

For a last look at that white house she knew

In sleep alone and held no title to

And had not entered yet for all her sighs

What did she tell me of that house of hers

White gatepost terrace fanlight of the door

A widowrsquos walk above the bouldered shore

Salt winds that ruffle the surrounding firs

Is she now there wherever there may be

Only a foolish man would hope to find

That haven fashioned by her dreaming mindNight after night my love I put to sea



5

A Measuring Worm

This yellow-striped green

Caterpillar climbing up

The steep window screen

Constantly (for lack

Of a full set of legs) keeps

Humping up his back

Itrsquos as if he sent

By a sort of semaphore

Dark omegas meant

To warn of Last ThingsAlthough he doesnrsquot know it

He will soon have wings

And I too donrsquot know

Toward what undreamt condition

Inch by inch I go



7

Flying

Treetops are not so high

Nor I so low

That I donrsquot instinctively know

How it would be to fly

Through gaps that the wind makes when

The leaves arouse

And there is a lifting of boughs

That settle and lift again

Whatever my kind may be

It is not absurd

To confuse myself with a birdFor the space of a reverie

My species never flew

But I somehow know

It is something that long ago

I almost adapted to





Anterooms

983144983151983157983143983144983156983151983150 983149 983145983142 983142 983148 983145983150 983144983137 983154983139983151983157983154983156

Boston New York 983090983088983089983088

Richard Wilbur

New Poems and Translations




all rights reserved





wwwhmhbookscom



p cm

isbn 978-0-547-35811-6

I Title

ps3545i32165a8 2010

811rsquo52 mdash dc22 2010005772



doc 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1



Contents

The House 1

I

A Measuring Worm 5

Flying 7

Psalm 9

Young Orchard 11

Anterooms 13

Trismegistus 15

Terza Rima 17

Galveston 1961 19

A Pasture Poem 21

Ecclesiastes 111 23

Soon 25

II



Horace II 10 33




III

Out Here 41

The Censor 43

A Reckoning 45

A Prelude 47



IV




1

The House














5

A Measuring Worm






Humping up his back



Dark omegas meant





Inch by inch I go



7

Flying


Nor I so low




The leaves arouse




It is not absurd



But I somehow know


I almost adapted to






all rights reserved





wwwhmhbookscom



p cm

isbn 978-0-547-35811-6

I Title

ps3545i32165a8 2010

811rsquo52 mdash dc22 2010005772



doc 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1



Contents

The House 1

I

A Measuring Worm 5

Flying 7

Psalm 9

Young Orchard 11

Anterooms 13

Trismegistus 15

Terza Rima 17

Galveston 1961 19

A Pasture Poem 21

Ecclesiastes 111 23

Soon 25

II



Horace II 10 33




III

Out Here 41

The Censor 43

A Reckoning 45

A Prelude 47



IV




1

The House














5

A Measuring Worm






Humping up his back



Dark omegas meant





Inch by inch I go



7

Flying


Nor I so low




The leaves arouse




It is not absurd



But I somehow know


I almost adapted to





Contents

The House 1

I

A Measuring Worm 5

Flying 7

Psalm 9

Young Orchard 11

Anterooms 13

Trismegistus 15

Terza Rima 17

Galveston 1961 19

A Pasture Poem 21

Ecclesiastes 111 23

Soon 25

II



Horace II 10 33




III

Out Here 41

The Censor 43

A Reckoning 45

A Prelude 47



IV




1

The House














5

A Measuring Worm






Humping up his back



Dark omegas meant





Inch by inch I go



7

Flying


Nor I so low




The leaves arouse




It is not absurd



But I somehow know


I almost adapted to





III

Out Here 41

The Censor 43

A Reckoning 45

A Prelude 47



IV




1

The House














5

A Measuring Worm






Humping up his back



Dark omegas meant





Inch by inch I go



7

Flying


Nor I so low




The leaves arouse




It is not absurd



But I somehow know


I almost adapted to





1

The House














5

A Measuring Worm






Humping up his back



Dark omegas meant





Inch by inch I go



7

Flying


Nor I so low




The leaves arouse




It is not absurd



But I somehow know


I almost adapted to





5

A Measuring Worm






Humping up his back



Dark omegas meant





Inch by inch I go



7

Flying


Nor I so low




The leaves arouse




It is not absurd



But I somehow know


I almost adapted to





7

Flying


Nor I so low




The leaves arouse




It is not absurd



But I somehow know


I almost adapted to



Anterooms by Richard Wilbur

Documents

Transcript of Anterooms by Richard Wilbur