SONNET 40: Take all my loves, my love, yea, take them all
By: William Shakespeare
Take all my loves, my love, yea, take them all:
What hast thou then more than thou hadst before?
No love, my love, that thou mayst true love call—
All mine was thine before thou hadst this more.
Then if for my love thou my love receivest,
I cannot blame thee for my love thou usest;
But yet be blamed if thou this self deceivest
By wilful taste of what thyself refusest.
I do forgive thy robb’ry, gentle thief,
Although thou steal thee all my poverty;
And yet love knows it is a greater grief
To bear love’s wrong than hate’s known injury.
Lascivious grace, in whom all ill well shows,
Kill me with spites, yet we must not be foes.
Background of Author:
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is often regarded as one of the greatest playwrights and
poets in the English language. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, and his works
have had a profound influence on literature and the arts. Shakespeare's writing spans various
genres, including tragedies, comedies, and histories, and he is best known for his plays such
as "Hamlet," "Macbeth," "Romeo and Juliet," and "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
In addition to his plays, Shakespeare wrote a collection of 154 sonnets, which are celebrated
for their exploration of themes such as love, beauty, time, and mortality. His sonnets are
characterized by their intricate structure, typically consisting of 14 lines with a specific rhyme
scheme, often employing iambic pentameter. In Sonnet 40, Shakespeare addresses themes of
betrayal, jealousy, and the complexities of relationships. The poem reflects on the pain
caused by a friend’s unfaithfulness and the feelings of loss and sorrow that accompany such
betrayal.
FREE-VERSE:
"Song of Myself"
By: Walt Whitman
I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
I loafe and invite my soul,
I lean and loafe at my ease, observing a spear of summer grass.
My tongue, every atom of my blood,
Form'd from this soil, this air,
Born here of parents born here from parents the same,
And their parents the same.
I, now thirty-seven years old, in perfect health begin,
Hoping to cease not till death.
Creeds and schools in abeyance,
Retiring back a while,
Sufficed at what they are, but never forgotten,
I harbor for good or bad,
I permit to speak at every hazard,
Native and foreign, the American.
Background of Author:
Walt Whitman (1819-18920) was a groundbreaking American poet, essayist, and journalist,
active during the 19th century. He is best known for his collection "Leaves of Grass," which
celebrated the individual, nature, and the American spirit. Whitman's innovative use of free
verse allowed him to break away from traditional poetic forms, creating a powerful and
unique voice that resonated with themes of democracy, humanism, and the beauty of
everyday life.
EPIGRAM:
“The Ballad of Reading Gaol”
By: Oscar Wilde
He did not wear his scarlet coat,
For blood and wine are red,
And blood and wine were on his hands
When they found him with the dead,
The poor dead woman whom he loved,
And murdered in her bed.
He walked amongst the trial men
In a suit of shabby gray;
A cricket cap was on his head,
And his step was light and gay;
But I never saw a man who looked so wistfully at the day.
I never saw a man who looked
With such a wistful eye
Upon that little tent of blue
And the great sun hanging high:
And at every careless footstep
He shuddered like a frightened bird,
But no one heeded him.
Background of Author:
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish poet, playwright, and novelist known for his
flamboyant style, sharp wit, and keen social commentary. His works are characterized by
their epigrammatic nature, often filled with paradoxes and clever observations about life,
love, and society. Wilde's writing reflects his belief in the importance of art and aesthetics,
and he often employed humor and irony to critique societal norms. His most famous works
include "The Picture of Dorian Gray," "The Importance of Being Earnest," and "The
Canterville Ghost." Wilde's life was marked by both success and tragedy, culminating in his
imprisonment for "gross indecency" due to his homosexuality, which deeply influenced his
later writings.
Sample Villanelle Poem:
“Mad Girl's Love Song”
By: Sylvia Plath
"I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;
I lift my lids and all is born again.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)
The stars go waltzing out in blue and red,
And arbitrary blackness gallops in:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead
I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed
And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)
God topples from the sky, hell's fires fade:
Exit seraphim and Satan's men:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead
I fancied you'd return the way you said,
But I grow old and I forget your name.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)
I should have loved a thunderbird instead;
At least when spring comes they roar back again.
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)"
Background of Author:
Sylvia Plath (1932-1963), she was an influential American poet, novelist, and short-story
writer born on October 27, 1932, in Boston, Massachusetts. Plath is best known for her
confessional style of writing, which often delves into her personal struggles, including her
battles with mental illness and her tumultuous marriage to poet Ted Hughes. Her works,
including "The Bell Jar," a semi-autobiographical novel, and her poetry collections, have had
a lasting impact on literature and continue to resonate with readers today. Plath died by
suicide on February 11, 1963, but her legacy endures through her powerful and poignant
writing.
Pantoum Poem:
“Pantoum of the Great Depression”
By: Donald Justice
Our lives avoided tragedy
Simply by going on and on,
Without end and with little apparent meaning.
Oh, there were storms and small catastrophes.
Simply by going on and on
We managed. No need for the heroic.
Oh, there were storms and small catastrophes.
I don’t remember all the particulars.
We managed. No need for the heroic.
There were the usual celebrations, the usual sorrows.
I don’t remember all the particulars.
Across the fence, the neighbors were our chorus.
Background of Author:
Donald Justice (1925–2004) was an American poet known for his precise use of form and
his focus on themes of memory, loss, and the passage of time. Born in Miami, Florida,
Justice’s early years coincided with the Great Depression, which profoundly influenced his
work and worldview. He studied music initially, but his career shifted to literature, earning
his MFA from the University of Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop, where he studied under poets
like Robert Lowell.
Justice was a master of traditional forms, such as the sonnet, villanelle, and pantoum, and his
use of these structures brought a haunting rhythm and resonance to his explorations of
memory and history. His background in music deeply influenced his poetry, lending his work
a unique attention to rhythm and sound. Throughout his career, Justice published several
highly acclaimed collections, including The Summer Anniversaries (1960), which won the
Lamont Poetry Prize, and Selected Poems (1979), which won the Pulitzer Prize.
Justice’s poetry often explores quiet, intimate scenes of American life, imbuing them with
universal significance. In poems like “Pantoum of the Great Depression,” he captures the
essence of personal and collective endurance through restrained yet powerful language. His
ability to transform individual memory into a universal experience makes his work timeless
and deeply resonant.
Cinquain Poetry:
“Butterfly”
By: Peggy C. Leavitt
Dainty,
Delicate wings,
Dancing on flower tops,
Pausing to taste the nectar sweet
— Fragile.
“Butterfly” by Peggy C. Leavitt is a concise yet evocative poem written in the cinquain
form. The poem captures the delicate beauty of a butterfly, emphasizing its fragile and
graceful nature through vivid imagery and precise language. This cinquain follows the classic
2-4-6-8-2 syllable structure, illustrating the butterfly’s elegance and the fleeting nature of its
existence.
Background of Author:
Peggy C. Leavitt (1934-2020) is an American poet known for her skillful use of traditional
forms, particularly the cinquain. While specific details about her life and career are less well-
documented compared to more widely recognized poets, she is known for contributing to the
contemporary revival of formal poetry. Leavitt’s work often explores themes of nature,
beauty, and the ephemeral aspects of life, as seen in her poem “Butterfly.”
Leavitt’s engagement with the cinquain form reflects her appreciation for brevity and
precision in language, enabling her to evoke powerful imagery and emotions in just a few
lines. Her poems are often included in anthologies and educational resources that highlight
the effectiveness of structured verse in capturing complex feelings and experiences.
Ekphrastic Poem:
“The Starry Night”
By: Anne Sexton
The man in the sky is on fire.
His lights flare up, and the day shimmers.
They listen for the sun to return.
But the night can’t go back.
It’s a mad man’s dream, a one-eyed monster
whose voice echoes like thunder.
This man has cut his ear and speaks to the stars.
He can’t stop painting.
The colors swirl around him like an ever-changing sea,
and the night has no horizon.
He wants to catch the blue and drown in its depths.
What can you do, but follow his path,
A road of shadows,
winding back to nowhere?
But the man in the sky is still on fire.
“The Starry Night” by Anne Sexton is an evocative ekphrastic poem inspired by Vincent
van Gogh’s famous painting of the same name. In this poem, Sexton explores themes of
despair, beauty, and the artist’s struggle, using vivid imagery to reflect on both the painting
and the emotional landscape it represents.
Background of Author:
Anne Sexton (1928–1974) was an influential American poet known for her confessional
style, which often incorporated personal experiences, including her struggles with mental
illness, depression, and her complex relationship with motherhood. Anne Sexton’s “The
Starry Night” stands as a testament to her ability to weave personal experience with artistic
reflection, making it a powerful example of ekphrastic poetry.
Images Poem:
“To a Poor Old Woman”
By: William Carlos Williams
Munching a plum
in her room
the old woman
whom I love
sits down
to look at
the plums
and then
she eats them all.
What is it
that the plums
are worth?
The woman
can hardly stand
but the plums
are all she wants.
“To a Poor Old Woman” by William Carlos Williams is a poignant imagist poem that
captures a moment of simplicity and pleasure. The poem focuses on an elderly woman who
finds joy in eating plums, using vivid imagery to reflect on themes of age, desire, and the
small pleasures of life.
Background of Author:
William Carlos Williams (1883–1963) was an influential American poet and physician
known for his innovative use of language and form. He was a key figure in the Imagist
movement and is celebrated for his ability to capture the essence of everyday life through
concise and vivid imagery. Williams’ “To a Poor Old Woman” encapsulates his ability to
find beauty and meaning in the everyday, making it a memorable example of imagist poetry.