W.S. Merwin (1927-2019) composed Garden Time during the difficult process of losing his eyesight. When he could no longer see well enough to write, he dictated his new poems to his wife, Paula. In this gorgeous, mindful, and life-affirming book, our greatest poet channels energy from animated sounds and memories to remind us that “the only hope is to be the daylight.”
ISBN: 9781556594991
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781556595943
Format: Paperback
The Scarab Questions
Out of full shadow your sound emerges
at the end of that last morning in May
as we call the days on our calendars
but where did you begin without numbers
where did you come from this late morning
what do you remember as you ride your one note
on its dark sunbeam out into the daylight
your note is the time of your radiance
arriving once just as the sun does
but where were you before now where did you
come from before you were today
Reviews
“Merwin raises some of life’s deepest questions and uses sound, as well as his other senses, to create a new landscape that is vibrant and engrossing.” —Elizabeth Lund, Washington Post
“There are few great poets alive at any one time, and W.S. Merwin is one of them. Read him.” —The Guardian
“Merwin has become instantly recognizable on the page.” —Helen Vendler, New York Review of Books