At Their Word: Essays on the Arts of Language, Volume II

"In poetry as in life," says Cid Corman, "no rules exist that promise success or can deny what succeeds despite the odds." At Their Word is his judicious selection from twenty years of poetry criticism . . . and criticism of life. Contents: 1. "Translating," a meditation on the craft featuring Corman's versions of lyrics by Baudelaire, Rilke, and Montale (1968). 2. "Poetry as Translation," on Celia and Louis Zukofsky's versions of Catullus (1970). 3. "Corman on Warren on Frost," a challenge to Robert Penn Warren's close reading of Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (1969). 4. "Apron in the Jungle," on Marianne Moore's Collected Poems (1951). 5. "Commensurate Language," on William Carlos Williams (1956). 6. "Hart Crane" (1966). 7. "For the Lovers," on Dylan Thomas (1963). 8. "For Love of," on Robert Creeley (1962). 9. "The Angel of Necessity," on The Letters of Wallace Stevens (1967). 10. "Maximus Continuing," on Charles Olson (1969). 11. "Larry Eigner" (1967). 12. "Philip Whalen" (1971). 13. "The Poetry of Lore," on Gary Snyder (1971). 14. "Through," on Frank Samperi (1971). 15. "With Lorine," a tribute to Lorine Niedecker, 1903–1970 (1971).