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qstew's review against another edition
4.0
not meaning to sound big-headed here, as i am aware he is beloved and prolific whereas i am a bonafide nobody - his poems remind me of my own in that i can't at all ascertain what he's writing about but rather creates a mood or ambience i can't quite name or place. considering how renowned this volume is, there's shockingly little available explicating content online on most of the individual pieces; something i find simultaneously upsetting and exhilarating.
i suppose one intent for writing poetry is just that: to evoke a feeling, whether explicitly described in the poem or more ambiguously nodded at, and i think most of these do so with aplomb. admittedly it has been some time since i read poems that didn't rhyme for pleasure, and i am rusty - lemme tell ya. think i finally understand how my poetry professor felt when she told me she couldn't possibly begin to understand what i was waffling on about.
i suppose one intent for writing poetry is just that: to evoke a feeling, whether explicitly described in the poem or more ambiguously nodded at, and i think most of these do so with aplomb. admittedly it has been some time since i read poems that didn't rhyme for pleasure, and i am rusty - lemme tell ya. think i finally understand how my poetry professor felt when she told me she couldn't possibly begin to understand what i was waffling on about.
lucazani11's review against another edition
3.0
TO THE HARBOURMASTER
"To the Harbourmaster" is a poem by the British poet Frank O'Hara, first published in 1964. It is a poignant tribute to the city of New York, and specifically to the harbor that has been a vital part of its history and identity.
The poem opens with the speaker addressing the titular harbor master, who is responsible for overseeing the bustling harbor. The speaker marvels at the harbor's beauty and the way it reflects the changing light of the day. He notes the various types of ships that pass through, from "coal-barges, frigates and yachts" to "little auks, puffins, scarlet-necked phalaropes."
Throughout the poem, the speaker uses vivid and evocative imagery to capture the harbor's many moods and moments. He describes the "shifting electric light" that illuminates the water at night, the "clamorous foghorns" that sound in the mist, and the "gulls going by in twos and threes" overhead. The speaker's language is rich and sensory, inviting the reader to imagine the harbor in all its vibrant complexity.
But the poem is not just a celebration of the harbor's physical beauty. It is also a tribute to the people who inhabit and work in and around the harbor. The speaker notes the "shackled gang of longshoremen" who load and unload the ships, and the "waitresses from the coffee shops" who watch the harbor from the shore. He acknowledges the importance of their labor and their presence in making the harbor the bustling, vibrant place it is.
Ultimately, "To the Harbourmaster" is a love letter to New York itself, and to the way the harbor serves as a vital artery for the city. The poem's final lines capture this sentiment perfectly: "O Manhattan, my love, / you are a lonely island / seated in the harbor / among your own." Through his careful attention to detail and his lyrical language, O'Hara reminds us of the beauty and importance of the harbor, and of the city it serves.
"To the Harbourmaster" is a poem by the British poet Frank O'Hara, first published in 1964. It is a poignant tribute to the city of New York, and specifically to the harbor that has been a vital part of its history and identity.
The poem opens with the speaker addressing the titular harbor master, who is responsible for overseeing the bustling harbor. The speaker marvels at the harbor's beauty and the way it reflects the changing light of the day. He notes the various types of ships that pass through, from "coal-barges, frigates and yachts" to "little auks, puffins, scarlet-necked phalaropes."
Throughout the poem, the speaker uses vivid and evocative imagery to capture the harbor's many moods and moments. He describes the "shifting electric light" that illuminates the water at night, the "clamorous foghorns" that sound in the mist, and the "gulls going by in twos and threes" overhead. The speaker's language is rich and sensory, inviting the reader to imagine the harbor in all its vibrant complexity.
But the poem is not just a celebration of the harbor's physical beauty. It is also a tribute to the people who inhabit and work in and around the harbor. The speaker notes the "shackled gang of longshoremen" who load and unload the ships, and the "waitresses from the coffee shops" who watch the harbor from the shore. He acknowledges the importance of their labor and their presence in making the harbor the bustling, vibrant place it is.
Ultimately, "To the Harbourmaster" is a love letter to New York itself, and to the way the harbor serves as a vital artery for the city. The poem's final lines capture this sentiment perfectly: "O Manhattan, my love, / you are a lonely island / seated in the harbor / among your own." Through his careful attention to detail and his lyrical language, O'Hara reminds us of the beauty and importance of the harbor, and of the city it serves.
lamphouse's review against another edition
4.0
favorites:
-"To the Harbormaster"
-"River"
-"On Rachmaninoff's Birthday"
-"For Grace, After a Party"
-"Jane Awake"
-"Ode"
-"Radio"
-"Mayakovsky"
-"To the Harbormaster"
-"River"
-"On Rachmaninoff's Birthday"
-"For Grace, After a Party"
-"Jane Awake"
-"Ode"
-"Radio"
-"Mayakovsky"
tyranosarahrex's review against another edition
5.0
I don't think this is necessarily a five star worthy anthology but the poems that are worth five stars are so five star that it doesn't even matter.
aena's review against another edition
3.0
I love you. I love you,
but I'm turning to my verses
and my heart is closing.
but I'm turning to my verses
and my heart is closing.
lauraisabeldp's review against another edition
4.0
I, too, read this book after hearing about it from Don Draper.
Frank O’Hara wrote beautiful poetry in a way that seems effortless. At times mundane and other times very moving… And then sometimes too abstract for me to understand!
Frank O’Hara wrote beautiful poetry in a way that seems effortless. At times mundane and other times very moving… And then sometimes too abstract for me to understand!
klazu's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
3.0
Meditations in an Emergency - yes
The eager note on my door... - absolutely
- but the rest was not for me.
The eager note on my door... - absolutely
- but the rest was not for me.
paul_viaf's review against another edition
4.0
An excellent discovery indeed. Sad to hear this literary work seems to be lost amongst the art of his time.