Poetry, 1951

In the February 1951 edition of Poetry Magazine there are numerous poems of varying quality. Some are translated works of poetry, including four poems of the French poet Apollinaire translated into English by Harry Duncan. Many of the poems written in English ring of a high style that is not particularly modern. Lawrence Josephs’s poem “There is no lack of Hell in that Mess” utilizes the Petrarchan rhyme scheme ABBA in a series of four stanzas. It is not a poem I find particularly worthwhile. The rhyme scheme feels forced and the poem holds little meaning besides sounding pretty. However, the collection does contain two poems, labeled as epigrams, by Theodore Roethke. The first poem, “Words in the Violent Ward,” is directed to a mental patient. The speaker tries to comfort the patient by telling him that although he will still be institutionalized in heaven, he can still “eat and swear” in the company of William Blake, Christopher Smart, and John Clare. Based on a quick Wikipedia read, all of these figures are poets that were either imprisoned, ignored during their time, or felt a general feeling of isolation from others. They seem fitting companions for the mental patient. Roethke suffered from bouts of depression and he may be comforting himself while looking at someone suffering more so than he. This brief summary is probably longer than the poem itself. The second of the two epigrams is called “To an Anthologist.” In the poem, Roethke scrutinizes the relation between poet and compiler of an anthology. He claims that they both hate one another. But, ironically, the poet still wants to be read and anthologized, to be remembered even if only in a compilation. The poet is always concerned with his reader and some desire for fame and praise despite the voice saying to write for writing’s sake. The poet’s place in society