The Seven Ages by Louise Gück

I was disappointed by The Seven Ages by Louise Glück. The winner of the Bollinger Prize in 2001, The Seven Ages was very good, but, to be honest, I was expecting something better. I had a preconceived notion that I would absolutely love Gl¨ck's poetry, but I didn't. That isn't to say that it wasn't good. I particularly enjoyed Radium, From A Journal, Balcony, and Unpainted Door. But reading The Seven Ages just wasn't the life-changing event I though it would be; perhaps I should not have had such high expectations, but I did.

3.50/5

Ballistics by Billy Collins

Ballistics by Billy Collins, a former U. S. Poet Laureate, is full of the poetry of everyday life. For example, Old Man Eating Alone in a Chinese Restaurant is about aging and, perhaps, loneliness. Brightly Colored Boats Upturned on the Banks of the Charles about a tableau of boats that Collins must once have seen. Other poems are about the stray thoughts that Collins has; little fantasies like Hippos on Holiday or The Golden Years. Some are deeper, more ominous, like Looking Forward, a poem about death. Ballistics is full of poetry that is simple, full of the unadorned beauty of everyday life.

3.75/5

Human Dark With Sugar by Brenda Shaughnessy

Human Dark With Sugar, winner of the 2007 James Laughlin Award of the Academy of American Poets, is full of poems in which there is delightful play with words. The poems do not have a strong narrative element, which I usually prefer my poetry to have, but Shaughnessy's use of language is beautiful and evocative. I enjoyed reading her poetry so much it inspired me to sign up for the Clover, Bee, and Reverie Poetry Challenge.

4.00/5

The Conference of Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar

The Conference of Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar is a mystical poem described by Reza Aslan in his book No god but God as by far the most famous parable describing the Sufi Way. Written in the twelfth century, Attar's poem describes how the birds of the world have gathered to elect a bird to lead them to the Simurgh, the King of the Birds. They elect the hoopoe to lead them. Before departing several birds question the wisdom of making the journey. The hoopoe answers each in turn with stories and parables. The birds then journey through the the Valleys of the Quest, Love, Mystery, Detachment, Unity, and Bewilderment before arriving at the Valley of Nothingness. Thousands of birds began the journey, but only thirty complete it. When they finally look upon the Simurgh they see themselves, for Simurgh means thirty birds in Persian. They struggled through the various challenges of the arduous journey only to discover that it was themselves they sought.

I heard about this book from Reza Aslan's No god but God. I looked forward to reading it, but was very disappointed upon doing so. The majority of the poem is taken up by the questions asked by the various birds. The parables and stories told in response were often seemed boring or repetitive to me. I would have liked to have read more about the actual journey, but it takes up surprisingly little of the poem. There were a few bright spots though. I especially enjoyed the story of Story Of Shaykh San‘an, which you can read for yourself at this online translation of The Conference of Birds.

2.75/5