Mid-day (by H.D.)
H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) in the 1910s
Mid-day
[from Sea Garden, 1916]
I am startled—
a split leaf crackles on the paved floor—
I am anguished—defeated.
A slight wind shakes the seed-pods—
my thoughts are spent
as the black seeds.
My thoughts tear me,
I dread their fever.
I am scattered in its whirl.
I am scattered like
the hot shrivelled seeds.
The shrivelled seeds
are split on the path—
the grass bends with dust,
the grape slips
under its crackled leaf:
yet far beyond the spent seed pods,
and the blackened stalks of mint,
the poplar is bright on the hill,
the poplar spreads out,
deep-rooted among trees.
O poplar, you are great
among the hill-stones,
while I perish on the path
among the crevices of the rocks.
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Posted by Jesus Crisis at 8/1/2009 9:43 AM 
Categories: 1900s, Writing, Doolittle (Hilda), American
Tags: American Literature Imagiste 1916 Sea Garden H.D. Imagist American Poetry Hilda Doolittle
Categories: 1900s, Writing, Doolittle (Hilda), American
Tags: American Literature Imagiste 1916 Sea Garden H.D. Imagist American Poetry Hilda Doolittle
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I love this piece... love it, love it, love it. All the imagery of the seeds... everything...
this spoke to me in a big way this morning... thanks.
It made me think about my day in the Cuyahoga State Forest the other day.. how green things, even spent ones, or living ones have a way of healing a broken soul....for me even small doses of nature go a long way to repair things inside for me. reminds me I don't do enough of that to be whole.
Sorry for rambling.
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Came back to ask you where this is from? I don't have anything by her yet and am up for a purchase. Which of the ones above that you have listed do you have and which would you recommend for a first volume to own?
Unfortunately I've never seen any of her work in the library... a disappointment to me.
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I'd definitely go with her Collected Poems 1912-1944. It's huge and includes several of her collections all in one volume. Indispensible! If I was stuck on a desert island with only 10 poetry books, this would be one of them.
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Thanks... for taking the time to suggest. And sorry I hadn't gotten back over here to check after asking you.
Looking forward to ordering a copy.
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