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thenorwegianprince's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. Some poems were better suited to the collection than others, but all around this was enjoyable.
antlersantlers's review against another edition
4.0
I wrote this review for my library's blog Read @ MPL.
Are you looking for a book to prolong that creepy Halloween spirit? Look no further than a recent addition to the Everyman’s Pocket Poets series: Poems Dead and Undead. This collection includes poems from ancient epics to contemporary poets, and the subjects range from ghosts, death, monsters, haunted houses, and vampires (among so many other creepy things!). There are even two poems by [a:Tim Seibles|95972|Tim Seibles|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1282872619p2/95972.jpg] about Blade; which, despite my prior experience with their subject, are quite poignant and subtle. People have been writing poems about the dead and undead for centuries, and the editors selected poems ranging from the darkly comedic to the genuinely heartbreaking. As a species we’ve been dealing with the subject of death (and, I suppose, undeath – if that’s even a word) for nearly as long as we’ve been alive. This selection beautifully captures that perpetual inquiry in a tome that is charming and special.
If you read this one and it barely satisfies your thirst for Halloween poetry, try another book from the same series: [b:Poems Bewitched and Haunted|1054074|Poems Bewitched and Haunted|John Hollander|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320516343s/1054074.jpg|1040616]!
Are you looking for a book to prolong that creepy Halloween spirit? Look no further than a recent addition to the Everyman’s Pocket Poets series: Poems Dead and Undead. This collection includes poems from ancient epics to contemporary poets, and the subjects range from ghosts, death, monsters, haunted houses, and vampires (among so many other creepy things!). There are even two poems by [a:Tim Seibles|95972|Tim Seibles|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1282872619p2/95972.jpg] about Blade; which, despite my prior experience with their subject, are quite poignant and subtle. People have been writing poems about the dead and undead for centuries, and the editors selected poems ranging from the darkly comedic to the genuinely heartbreaking. As a species we’ve been dealing with the subject of death (and, I suppose, undeath – if that’s even a word) for nearly as long as we’ve been alive. This selection beautifully captures that perpetual inquiry in a tome that is charming and special.
If you read this one and it barely satisfies your thirst for Halloween poetry, try another book from the same series: [b:Poems Bewitched and Haunted|1054074|Poems Bewitched and Haunted|John Hollander|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320516343s/1054074.jpg|1040616]!
nkmustdie's review against another edition
3.0
Devils, Gods, Angels, Death
(pg. 149-245)
The Gardener - Stephen Dobyns
"Oh, great was the sin of my spirit,
And great is the reach of its doom;
Not the pity of Heaven can cheer it,
Nor can respite be found in the tomb:
Down the aeons come beating the wings of unmerciful gloom" from Nemesis by H.P. Lovecraft
"Real holy laughter in the river! They saw it all! the wild eyes! the holy yells! They bade farewell! They jumped off the roof! to solitude! waving!" from Howl, Part II by Allen Ginsberg
The Devil's Walk - Robert Southey
"and at the stars,
Which are the brain of Heaven, he lol I'd, and sank." from Lucifer in Starlight
Deus Ex Machina - Jennifer Clement
Flute Playing the Death of This be (from A Midsummer Night's Dream) - William Shakespeare
"Soon are eyes tired with sunshine; soon the ears
Weary of utterance, seeing all is said;
Soon, racked by hopes and fears,
The all-pondering, all-contriving head,
Weary with all things, wearies of the years;
And our sad spirits turn toward the dead And the tired child, the body, longs for bed." from Death, To the Dead for Evermore - Robert Louis Stevenson
"In Sixth Heaven, angels of wrath and silence greet you. Cherubs and arranging dance; gazelles with dappled faces flank the throne; light strikes the trembling heart. You are alone.
You'll see a god of the fire trailing stars, then climb to see the chariot throne, and still survive unharmed. Through blinding flame, through water, you'll enter seven heavens and fall, whole." from Instructions for a Journey - Grace Schulman
Isis Unveiled
"The Indian café and the occult bookstore and the dreamy skeptic I was are inside me still, and so is the night" from Isis Unveiled - Edward Hirsch
(pg. 149-245)
The Gardener - Stephen Dobyns
"Oh, great was the sin of my spirit,
And great is the reach of its doom;
Not the pity of Heaven can cheer it,
Nor can respite be found in the tomb:
Down the aeons come beating the wings of unmerciful gloom" from Nemesis by H.P. Lovecraft
"Real holy laughter in the river! They saw it all! the wild eyes! the holy yells! They bade farewell! They jumped off the roof! to solitude! waving!" from Howl, Part II by Allen Ginsberg
The Devil's Walk - Robert Southey
"and at the stars,
Which are the brain of Heaven, he lol I'd, and sank." from Lucifer in Starlight
Deus Ex Machina - Jennifer Clement
Flute Playing the Death of This be (from A Midsummer Night's Dream) - William Shakespeare
"Soon are eyes tired with sunshine; soon the ears
Weary of utterance, seeing all is said;
Soon, racked by hopes and fears,
The all-pondering, all-contriving head,
Weary with all things, wearies of the years;
And our sad spirits turn toward the dead And the tired child, the body, longs for bed." from Death, To the Dead for Evermore - Robert Louis Stevenson
"In Sixth Heaven, angels of wrath and silence greet you. Cherubs and arranging dance; gazelles with dappled faces flank the throne; light strikes the trembling heart. You are alone.
You'll see a god of the fire trailing stars, then climb to see the chariot throne, and still survive unharmed. Through blinding flame, through water, you'll enter seven heavens and fall, whole." from Instructions for a Journey - Grace Schulman
Isis Unveiled
"The Indian café and the occult bookstore and the dreamy skeptic I was are inside me still, and so is the night" from Isis Unveiled - Edward Hirsch
lileuw's review against another edition
3.0
A lovely little book, not as creepy as I had hoped, but I'm glad it's in my collection!
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