The Mercy: PoemsPhilip Levine's new collection of poems (his first since The Simple Truth was awarded the Pulitzer Prize) is a book of journeys: the necessary ones that each of us takes from innocence to experience, from youth to age, from confusion to clarity, from sanity to madness and back again, from life to death, and occasionally from defeat to triumph. The book's mood is best captured in the closing lines of the title poem, which takes its name from the ship that brought the poet's mother to America: A nine-year-old girl travels all night by train with one suitcase and an orange. She learns that mercy is something you can eat again and again while the juice spills over your chin, you can wipe it away with the back of your hands and you can never get enough. From the Trade Paperback edition. |
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The mercy: poems
User Review - Not Available - Book VerdictThis is distinguished poet Levine's 18th book of poems and his first since The Simple Truth (LJ 11/1/94) was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Levine's is above all, perhaps, the art that conceals art: his ... Read full review
Contents
Orphans | 9 |
Pltolngraplty 2 | 17 |
lI | 27 |
The Sea We Read About | 33 |
Night Words | 40 |
The Mortal Words of Zweik | 46 |
Clouds Above the Sea 55 | 53 |
The Return | 69 |
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Common terms and phrases
afternoon Anton asked autumn beside breath César Vallejo Cesare Charlie Parker close to home clouds cold cousin Pearl damp dark dead Delancey Street Detroit door Dougie Harris dream dust earth eyes father fields filled filling find fine fire first flowers Fresno frotn girls Gould s Pen gray hand hear irom Joe Gould kids knew late light lelt Little apple lives lrotn Lungo Maryk MERCY Michigan Miss Hardman morning mother never night oi day olive trees once orange overflowing PHILIP LEVINE post office rail yard rain river road SELECTED POEMS side silence slowly smile smoke snow someone stare stars stop streets Strempek strudel sunlight three crows town truck turn voice waken walk Williamsburg Bridge wind woman words Yiddish young Zweik
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Mercy: Poems |
| Author | Philip Levine |
| Publisher | Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2011 |
| ISBN | 030755788X, 9780307557889 |
| Length | 96 pages |
| Subjects | › › Literary Collections / American / General Poetry / American / General Poetry / Anthologies (multiple authors) |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |