Poet Jane Hirshfield on her "unearned luck," her poetry and a 360-degree life
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
- In this edition of "The Writing Life," poet Michael Collier speaks with poet, essayist and translator Jane Hirshfield about her work and the necessity of poetry in the world. Ms. Hirshfield begins by reading "The Poet," which she often uses as an opening poem in her readings. She acknowledges what she calls her "unearned luck" to have enough paper, light and freedom to write, while also calling awareness to those writers who lack those necessities. The pair discuss her series of poems called "Assays," in which she investigates and disassembles the meaning of words like "judgment." Ms. Hirshfield also reads "Identity," "Sky: An Assay," "Like an Ant Carrying her Bits of Leaf or Sand" and "Tree." Poetry, Hirshfield concludes, "instructs me in the possibility of fully agreeing to a 360-degree life."
For more information about "The Writing Life" and HoCoPoLitSo (the Howard County Poetry and Literature Society), visit www.hocopolitso.org.
Thank you Jane. You first spoke to me in the PBS Buddha documentary. When you mentioned going through the day being aware of people around us and as you say, just going ''Buddha? Buddha. Buddha? Buddha, Buddha, Buddha... You helped me to look at others when I believed I was alone in ''this''. Ever since I began practicing this, a year three years later, I find myself in everyone I meet. For that, I thank you. Daniel M. Taddeo
Jane's poems are humbly involved in the ordinary circumstances life. She makes an art out of it.
Enjoyed your discussion and Hirshfield’s poems.
I’m a poet specializing in Japanese forms: haiku, tanka, haibun, kyoka, senryu. I hope you don’t mind me sharing a tanka and my haiku, a tribute poem to Bashō’s frog with commentary by the late AHA founder and poet Jane Reichhold who considered my Basho haiku among her top 10 haiku of all time. What an honor.
Here’s the Bashō poem and commentary:
Bashō’s frog
four hundred years
of ripples
At first the idea of picking only 10 of my favorite haiku seemed a rather daunting task. How could I review all the haiku I have read in my life and decide that there were only 10 that were outstanding? Then realized I was already getting a steady stream of excellent haiku day by day through the AHA
forum.
The puns and write-offs based on Basho's most famous haiku are so
numerous I would have said that nothing new could be said with this
method, but here Al Fogel proved me wrong. Perhaps part of my delight in this haiku lies in the fact that I agree with him. Here he is saying one thing
about realism-ripples are on a pond after a frog jumps in, but because it refers back to Basho and his famous haiku, he is also saying something about the haiku and authors who have followed him. We, and our work, are just ripples while Basho holds the honor of inventing the idea of "the
sound of a frog leaping is the sound of water".
As haiku spreads around the world, making ripples in more and larger ponds, its ripples are wider-including us all. But his last word reminds us all that we are only ripples and our lives are that ephemeral. It will be the frogs that will remain.
~~
And my tanka:
returning home
from a Jackson Pollock
exhibition
I smear my face with paint
and turn into art
~~
-All love in isolation
from Miami Beach,
Florida.
Al
I am just so amazed with your being Jane........Love at first sight.......Just listening to you is like a delightful meditation...............thank you so very much...
I'd like to recommend the literary essays of both of these wonderful poets - worthy of attention.
Agreed. Jane Hirshfield's Nine Gates: Entering the Mind of Poetry, has been one of my touchstone books. I always feel like I'm eavesdropping into these terrific conversations between writers about craft. If you liked this program, try our show featuring Edward Hirsch, another thoughtful poet who writes about poetry in irresistible ways. Thank you for watching, and for commenting.
Thanks again for these excellent programs - will indeed check out the EHirsch. Btw, I am privileged to know Jane H. personally - and you're so right re NINE GATES. I would ofcourse heartily recommend the couple of books of essays she has published since too, the latest quite recently.
Jane is amazing. She comes from a true meaning of life as a spiritual and her poems are so deep intellectual and true beauty of this Existence
This is really a poetic conversation that enlightened and enthralled me.Thanks to Jane Hirshfield and Michael Collier for the cool and captivating session.
+Zainul Abedin I'm so glad you enjoyed our show. Jane is truly an amazing poet and presence. We have an interview with Joy Harjo you might enjoy as well.
Appearance - Scruffy, chaotic and messy.
Character - Feeling, passionate and distinctive.
Voice - Sounding lost, special and unique.
Conclusion - She's a poet!
Please take with a bucket of salt!
I am exaggerating a lot!
Thank you Jane, added to a playlist...
Great interviewer, love them both
Thank you for watching! They are both such gems. If you liked this show, perhaps try our show featuring Eavan Boland. Both lovely, quiet poets of deep thought.
Wonderful.
I enjoyed this. Thank you for posting.
So glad you enjoyed watching Ms. Hirshfield's program. She was a delight to have as a guest, and her books After and Given Sugar, Given Salt, are two of my favorites. Try our programs featuring Joy Harjo or Eavan Boland for more poetry.
Agreed -- a meditation is a great description. If you liked this program, try our show with W.S. Merwin -- you'll love him too.
Thanks for watching,
HoCoPoLitSo
I love this poet
We do too! She's wonderful.
She looks all 1857. Face round as the moon when it's full and low at the edge of the ocean.
Hi PoetryETrain. We were lucky enough to have Ms. Hirshfield read for us a few years ago. She was simply amazing. If you like her poetry, try watching our show with Joy Harjo.
Best, HoCoPoLitSo