Aw thanks Rod! I am a bit obsessive when it comes to short poetry, so I am glad it comes across as joy, rather than anything else haha. Yeah - this one was a real wow moment for me - though I have made many finds that are special to me, none which have had quite the significance of this one in terms of poetic history. It's invigorating, especially since Hughes is one of my all time favs!
I really like the poem ‘Untitled’ from this sequence of four. To my mind it wouldn’t be too out of place in Blake’s ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience’.
Yeah, the Untitled one is a real gem! True that, I see what you mean - I did a little searching and it turns out others have also compared Hughes to Blake. Maria Popova, for instance, writes: "Langston Hughes was in a sense the William Blake of his generation — like Blake, he was endowed with a rare poetic genius that incurred merciless ridicule by the era’s critics and was often wholly ignored by the public." Great minds! :-)
Many times the same old poems come to mind to be talked about: Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken; Eliot's The Waste Line; Williams's The Read Wheelbarrow. But there are many good and great poems that have gone forgotten. These here are quite good, and I never saw or read them before. Good job!
Is it possible that there is more than one version of “Pensee” - and that you’re working from one and Penguin from another? In any case, why not contact Penguin? You could let them know of the 2 poems you’ve unearthed at the same time. What’s the worst that could happen? They ignore you. On the other hand they might make a note to correct as and when the anthology is reprinted. And if you take the opportunity to let them know of your wider “forgotten poets” project, who knows where it might not lead...?
Good question - it is possible, but as far as I can tell the poem was only published once, and the "misquoted" line is metrically off in a really clumsy way (and Hughes' meters are always impeccable) which seems to suggest a blunder at the transcription stage. I love your thinking here - it is definitely worth contacting them, and yeah, who knows - it could lead to something? Worth a shot anyhow. :-) And as I said below - it'll make a great post eventually, either way.
Thank you so much for sharing these writings. These works give a richer understanding of Hughes’s fluid artistic projections during the earliest stage of his writing career. I am particularly captivated by his vitalized recasting of Romanticism in “Untitled.” What a find!
A pleasure Ali :-) Yeah - absolutely - someone else mentioned above that Untitled reminded them of Blake, and I can definitely see the connections to Romanticism. I'm not super well-read in terms of the Romantics, but am a fan of Blake's work - will have to spend some more time with them at some point :-) Cheers for the lovely comment.
Well done indeed! Thank you! Looking at the two Epitaphs side by side that first I makes a big difference in drawing readers in as well as in the tone. A silly mistake. Also, I did not know that Langston Hughes Wrote under different psuedonyms
A lit scholar and cultural critic I know once found a substantive problem in a Norton introduction to Early Romantic poetry and they actually agreed it was a mistake and fixed it in subsequent editions. I think it would be worth trying.
I will pencil that in in my edition. Thanks again♥️
Thanks Christopher. Yeah, I agree. Without the first "I" the line loses its rhythm as well, and is out of step with the rest - which of course is not at all like Hughes, who's use of rhythm is always impeccable. Yeah, I know of at least two pseudonyms he used - J. Crutchfield Thompson and Earl Dane, both published in The Messenger in 1926-27. The Earl Dane poem 'For Dead Mimes' is included in the Collected Poems, but it is the version from Fields of Wonder (1947), and the original in The Messenger (1926) is slightly different. Here is the first version, in case it is of interest:
.
Oh, white-faced mimes,
May rose leaves
Cover you like snow.
And may Pierrette,
The faithful.
Rest forever with Pierrot.
.
Ah - thanks for the advice re: contacting Penguin. Good on your friend, and nice to know Norton was open to changing it. I think you're right - definitely worth trying. I will try and find a contact for them. And you're very welcome :-) thanks for reading! 💜
Aw thanks Kim - I really really appreciate the kind words about my poetry. Brief poems have always fascinated me. Hughes has been such a big influence on me over the past few years - especially the way he handles rhyme and rhythm, while still being entirely "new" in his approach to poetry, and likewise, his dedication to the brief poem. Wonderful stuff.
Thanks so much LeeAnn - it's funny, I never fully realise until I am finished with mine, and then I go back and look at it, and see loads of connections that I hadn't been conscious of while writing it. Yeah - I know right - I couldn't believe that Untitled wasn't in his complete poems either, and had to keep checking and re-checking to make sure I wasn't imagining things haha. I've never stumbled across a find quite like this before.
The joy and pride with which you write about your discoveries is contagious, Dick. Congratulations on the finds and on another great post.
Aw thanks Rod! I am a bit obsessive when it comes to short poetry, so I am glad it comes across as joy, rather than anything else haha. Yeah - this one was a real wow moment for me - though I have made many finds that are special to me, none which have had quite the significance of this one in terms of poetic history. It's invigorating, especially since Hughes is one of my all time favs!
Excellent poem archaeology Dick, well done. Yes contact them, it absolutely should be restored you're right. So much better with the I in it.
Cheers April :-) Ok, good advice - I will try and track down where I should contact them. Would make a good post eventually if they do change it haha.
Yes please. I'd like to know what happens!
I really like the poem ‘Untitled’ from this sequence of four. To my mind it wouldn’t be too out of place in Blake’s ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience’.
Yes Martin, I agree ❤
Yeah, the Untitled one is a real gem! True that, I see what you mean - I did a little searching and it turns out others have also compared Hughes to Blake. Maria Popova, for instance, writes: "Langston Hughes was in a sense the William Blake of his generation — like Blake, he was endowed with a rare poetic genius that incurred merciless ridicule by the era’s critics and was often wholly ignored by the public." Great minds! :-)
Many times the same old poems come to mind to be talked about: Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken; Eliot's The Waste Line; Williams's The Read Wheelbarrow. But there are many good and great poems that have gone forgotten. These here are quite good, and I never saw or read them before. Good job!
Cheers Luis - yeah, absolutely. That was one of the key reasons for doing this project. :-) Thanks for the lovely comment.
Pensée- one of the many reasons I plan to be cremated!
😂
Thank you so much for your ever fascinating newsletter
Thanks so much for the lovely comment and encouragement Paul - really appreciate it!
Is it possible that there is more than one version of “Pensee” - and that you’re working from one and Penguin from another? In any case, why not contact Penguin? You could let them know of the 2 poems you’ve unearthed at the same time. What’s the worst that could happen? They ignore you. On the other hand they might make a note to correct as and when the anthology is reprinted. And if you take the opportunity to let them know of your wider “forgotten poets” project, who knows where it might not lead...?
Good question - it is possible, but as far as I can tell the poem was only published once, and the "misquoted" line is metrically off in a really clumsy way (and Hughes' meters are always impeccable) which seems to suggest a blunder at the transcription stage. I love your thinking here - it is definitely worth contacting them, and yeah, who knows - it could lead to something? Worth a shot anyhow. :-) And as I said below - it'll make a great post eventually, either way.
Thank you so much for sharing these writings. These works give a richer understanding of Hughes’s fluid artistic projections during the earliest stage of his writing career. I am particularly captivated by his vitalized recasting of Romanticism in “Untitled.” What a find!
A pleasure Ali :-) Yeah - absolutely - someone else mentioned above that Untitled reminded them of Blake, and I can definitely see the connections to Romanticism. I'm not super well-read in terms of the Romantics, but am a fan of Blake's work - will have to spend some more time with them at some point :-) Cheers for the lovely comment.
Well done indeed! Thank you! Looking at the two Epitaphs side by side that first I makes a big difference in drawing readers in as well as in the tone. A silly mistake. Also, I did not know that Langston Hughes Wrote under different psuedonyms
A lit scholar and cultural critic I know once found a substantive problem in a Norton introduction to Early Romantic poetry and they actually agreed it was a mistake and fixed it in subsequent editions. I think it would be worth trying.
I will pencil that in in my edition. Thanks again♥️
Thanks Christopher. Yeah, I agree. Without the first "I" the line loses its rhythm as well, and is out of step with the rest - which of course is not at all like Hughes, who's use of rhythm is always impeccable. Yeah, I know of at least two pseudonyms he used - J. Crutchfield Thompson and Earl Dane, both published in The Messenger in 1926-27. The Earl Dane poem 'For Dead Mimes' is included in the Collected Poems, but it is the version from Fields of Wonder (1947), and the original in The Messenger (1926) is slightly different. Here is the first version, in case it is of interest:
.
Oh, white-faced mimes,
May rose leaves
Cover you like snow.
And may Pierrette,
The faithful.
Rest forever with Pierrot.
.
Ah - thanks for the advice re: contacting Penguin. Good on your friend, and nice to know Norton was open to changing it. I think you're right - definitely worth trying. I will try and find a contact for them. And you're very welcome :-) thanks for reading! 💜
‘Pensée’ is stellar! Your piece is as good... dare I say better. Yes. I dare. Your mastery of brevity continues to impress me.
Aw thanks Kim - I really really appreciate the kind words about my poetry. Brief poems have always fascinated me. Hughes has been such a big influence on me over the past few years - especially the way he handles rhyme and rhythm, while still being entirely "new" in his approach to poetry, and likewise, his dedication to the brief poem. Wonderful stuff.
I love the conversation between the poems and your poem. I can’t believe “Untitled” has been uncollected. What a find. Such a wonderful poem.
Thanks so much LeeAnn - it's funny, I never fully realise until I am finished with mine, and then I go back and look at it, and see loads of connections that I hadn't been conscious of while writing it. Yeah - I know right - I couldn't believe that Untitled wasn't in his complete poems either, and had to keep checking and re-checking to make sure I wasn't imagining things haha. I've never stumbled across a find quite like this before.