e. e. cummings—American (1894-1962)

ENGL 2030—Fall 2013 | Lavery

e. e. cummings

ENGL 2030—Fall 2013 | Lavery

e. e. cummings

ENGL 2030—Fall 2013 | Lavery

ENGL 2030—Fall 2013 | Lavery

[Artists are those] who have discovered (in a mirror surrounded with mirrors) something harder than silence but softer than falling, the third voice of "life" which believes itself and which cannot mean because it is.e. e. cummings, six non-lectures

ENGL 2030—Fall 2013 | Lavery

e. e. cummings the painter

fourth-dimensional abstractionOil on canvasboard

ENGL 2030—Fall 2013 | Lavery

e. e. cummings the painter

Flowers and Hat: Patchen Place, c. 1950, oil on canvas,

ENGL 2030—Fall 2013 | Lavery

e. e. cummings the painter

Noise Number 1, 1919, oil on canvas,

ENGL 2030—Fall 2013 | Lavery

e. e. cummings the painter

lone figure and tree in stormy sunsetOil on canvas

ENGL 2030—Fall 2013 | Lavery

e. e. cummings the painter

Self-portrait with sketchpad, 1939, oil on canvas,

ENGL 2030—Fall 2013 | Lavery

Discovering cummings

John Dewey

Oil City High School, Oil City, PA

ENGL 2030—Fall 2013 | Lavery

cummings, “in Just-”

in Just-spring when the world is mud-luscious the little lame baloonman

whistles far and wee

and eddyandbill comerunning from marbles andpiracies and it’sspring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queerold baloonman whistlesfar and weeand bettyandisbel come dancing

ENGL 2030—Fall 2013 | Lavery

cummings, “in Just-”

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it’sspringandthegoat-footed

baloonMan whistlefarandwee  

ENGL 2030—Fall 2013 | Lavery

cummings, “next to of course god america”

 "next to of course god america Ilove you land of the pilgrims' and so forth ohsay can you see by the dawn's early mycountry tis of centuries come and goand are no more what of it we should worryin every language even deafanddumbthy sons acclaim your glorious name by gorryby jingo by gee by gosh by gumwhy talk of beauty what could be more beaut-iful than these heroic happy deadwho rushed like lions to the roaring slaughterthey did not stop to think they died insteadthen shall the voice of liberty be mute?”

He spoke. And drank rapidly a glass of water

ENGL 2030—Fall 2013 | Lavery

cummings, “next to of course god america”

Boosterism

Oil City High School Rotarians, 1966-1967

ENGL 2030—Fall 2013 | Lavery

cummings, “Buffalo Bill’s”

Buffalo Bill 'sdefunct            who used to            ride a watersmooth-silver                                                stallionand break onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat                                                                        Jesus he was a handsome man                                    and what i want to know ishow do you like your blueeyed boyMister Death?

ENGL 2030—Fall 2013 | Lavery

cummings, “somewhere I have never travelled”

somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyondany experience,your eyes have their silence:in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look easily will unclose methough i have closed myself as fingers,you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens(touching skilfully,mysteriously)her first rose

or if your wish be to close me, i andmy life will shut very beautifully ,suddenly,as when the heart of this flower imaginesthe snow carefully everywhere descending;

Hear cummings read it on youtube.ENGL 2030—Fall 2013 | Lavery

cummings, “somewhere I have never travelled”

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equalsthe power of your intense fragility: whose texturecompels me with the color of its countries,rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closesand opens; only something in me understandsthe voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands

ENGL 2030—Fall 2013 | Lavery