105 Ways to Give a Book

Poetry Friday: "The Snow Man"

I haven't done a pure Poetry Friday entry in a while, but I came upon this poem during this past week of bitter cold and it felt just right.
The Snow Man

One must have a mind of winter
to regard the frost and the boughs
Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;

And have been cold a long time
To behold the junipers shagged with ice,
The spruces rough in the distant glitter

Of the January sun; and not to think
Of any misery in the sound of the wind,
In the sound of a few leaves,

Which is the sound of the land
Full of the same wind
That is blowing in the same bare place

For the listener, who listens in the snow,
And, nothing himself, beholds
Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.
-- Wallace Stevens
For more verse, look to our Poetry Friday host, Mainely Right!


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6 comments:

Stacey Shubitz said...

Love this (even though we didn't get enough snow to build one today)!

Tricia said...

I spent Christmas in NY and saw more snow than I had in a very long time.

Thanks for sharing this lovely Stevens poem.

Mary Lee said...

Too many people were thinking of misery in the sound of the wind, rather than being awestruck by its power and the messages it carried from the far far north.

Great poem. Thanks!

GatheringBooks said...

Pam, these lines spoke to me the most:

"For the listener, who listens in the snow,
And, nothing himself, beholds
Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is."

I love visiting Poetry Friday posts. There is always a line or two that just whispers to me.

Unknown said...

Very nice poem. Winter is my favorite. :)

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Liviania said...

This one definitely fit with Friday's weather.