In this reading, Merrill changes the last line from the 1951 version, "In anguish: I love the black swan," and "His lips move: I love the black swan" in the 1984 version, to "I love the black swan, the black swan." The source of this RUclips reading might be the James Merrill recording from the Voice of the Poet series from Random House AudioBooks (1999).
[. . .] And yet, and yet Here in the afterglow It almost seems Death has forgotten us ----As the old lady said to Fontenelle. [. . . ] --- James Merrill, from "Losing the Marbles", THE INNER ROOM, 1988 * * * WHITE SWAN Born in 1837, WHITE SWAN, Minniconjou Sioux, became a noted hunter and warrior and eventually chief of his tribe. He fought under Crazy Horse at the Battle of the Rosebud in June 1876. He was the first to sign the Treaty of 1868 which established the Great Sioux Reservation. He made two trips to Washington, D.C. in an attempt to obtain federal compliance with Indian treaties. During the early reservation period, White Swan was assigned to the Cherry Creek area on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation for his people. He was a wise leader and attempted to deal fairly with the agent and maintain the best interests of his tribe. He lived most of his life in the vicinity of Fort Bennett, Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, and died there in 1900. WHITE SWAN WHITE SWAN, Yankton Sioux chief, lived during the period of early adjustment to reservation life. he was born in 1855 near the Powder River in what is now Montana. He served as a messenger and scout for the U.S. Army in 1876 and again in 1890-91. White Swan's village served as a temporary army post and relay station fro the stage route from Sioux City, Iowa and Yankton, South Dakota, into the Rosebud country. It was located in Bon Homme County, a few miles east of the present-day Fort Randall Dam. White Swan died in 1935. WHITE THUNDER WHITE THUNDER, Brule Sioux, not to be confused with other contemporary Sioux leaders of the same name, is believed to have been the young warrior who killed Fontenelle, Omaha chief, on the Elk Horn River in the spring of 1857. White Thunder was considered to be a most courageous warrior, second only to Crazy Horse in actions against U.S. troops, mainly along the Platte River from 1867 to 1875. After that time, he settled with a small band named Loafers near the Bordeaux Trading Post. In 1877, he was at Fort Robinson and was one of 30 men sent with Lieutenant Jesse Lee to escort the Crazy Horse people to the Red Cloud Agency. He was consulted frequently on Indian-White problems and was always fair and just in his dealings. He and Touch the Clouds rode beside Crazy Horse during the investigation and return trip to Fort Robinson when the great warrior and his wife, Black Robe, and her brother, Red Feather, travelled to the Spotted Tail Agency in September 1877. White Thunder was killed in 1884 by young Spotted Tail and Thunder Hawk in Mellette County at the mouth of White Thunder Creek, which was named after him as well as a local day school. ---- from WHO'S WHO AMONG THE SIOUX, Paulson & Moses, 1988
of course he was astonishingly young when he wrote this-- 19? 20?
thank you for sharing this. nobody reads aloud quite like James
A work of art by a great artist.
This piece just inspired me to compose a poem. Excellent poem.
In this reading, Merrill changes the last line from the 1951 version, "In anguish: I love the black swan," and "His lips move: I love the black swan" in the 1984 version, to "I love the black swan, the black swan." The source of this RUclips reading might be the James Merrill recording from the Voice of the Poet series from Random House AudioBooks (1999).
Thank you for pointing this out. The recording quality certainly seems as if it had been recorded earlier than 1984, but who knows
Very interesting
[. . .] And yet, and yet
Here in the afterglow
It almost seems
Death has forgotten us
----As the old lady said to Fontenelle. [. . . ]
--- James Merrill, from "Losing the Marbles", THE INNER ROOM, 1988
* * *
WHITE SWAN
Born in 1837, WHITE SWAN, Minniconjou Sioux, became a noted hunter and warrior and eventually chief of his tribe. He fought under Crazy Horse at the Battle of the Rosebud in June 1876.
He was the first to sign the Treaty of 1868 which established the Great Sioux Reservation. He made two trips to Washington, D.C. in an attempt to obtain federal compliance with Indian treaties. During the early reservation period, White Swan was assigned to the Cherry Creek area on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation for his people. He was a wise leader and attempted to deal fairly with the agent and maintain the best interests of his tribe. He lived most of his life in the vicinity of Fort Bennett, Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, and died there in 1900.
WHITE SWAN
WHITE SWAN, Yankton Sioux chief, lived during the period of early adjustment to reservation life. he was born in 1855 near the Powder River in what is now Montana.
He served as a messenger and scout for the U.S. Army in 1876 and again in 1890-91. White Swan's village served as a temporary army post and relay station fro the stage route from Sioux City, Iowa and Yankton, South Dakota, into the Rosebud country. It was located in Bon Homme County, a few miles east of the present-day Fort Randall Dam.
White Swan died in 1935.
WHITE THUNDER
WHITE THUNDER, Brule Sioux, not to be confused with other contemporary Sioux leaders of the same name, is believed to have been the young warrior who killed Fontenelle, Omaha chief, on the Elk Horn River in the spring of 1857. White Thunder was considered to be a most courageous warrior, second only to Crazy Horse in actions against U.S. troops, mainly along the Platte River from 1867 to 1875. After that time, he settled with a small band named Loafers near the Bordeaux Trading Post.
In 1877, he was at Fort Robinson and was one of 30 men sent with Lieutenant Jesse Lee to escort the Crazy Horse people to the Red Cloud Agency. He was consulted frequently on Indian-White problems and was always fair and just in his dealings. He and Touch the Clouds rode beside Crazy Horse during the investigation and return trip to Fort Robinson when the great warrior and his wife, Black Robe, and her brother, Red Feather, travelled to the Spotted Tail Agency in September 1877.
White Thunder was killed in 1884 by young Spotted Tail and Thunder Hawk in Mellette County at the mouth of White Thunder Creek, which was named after him as well as a local day school.
---- from WHO'S WHO AMONG THE SIOUX, Paulson & Moses, 1988
The best thing I've ever heard.
No he entendido el significado, supongo que es algo complejo, pero no lo entiendo :(