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A must-have collection
Once in awhile a book comes along that's difficult for me to review. Ted Hughes' "Collected Poems for Children," illustrated by Raymond Briggs, is one such book. I just want to tell you: "This book is great. You must buy it." But an imperative does not a review make, so I'll elaborate.

Ted Hughes' "Collected Poems for Children" is a book every home, library, and school should own. Containing over 250 poems Hughes wrote over his lifetime, it begins with poems written for the very young and concludes with those written for teens. The poems are presented as Hughes intended, in books--beginning with "The Mermaid's Purse" and concluding with "Season Songs." The natural world--animals, plants, the moon, weather--is Hughes' most frequent subject and his verse is direct and classically composed. Take for example, this selection from one of my favorite poems from "The Cat and the Cuckoo" (the second book in the collection, aimed at children about eight years old):
"The Cat"

You need your Cat.
When you slump down
All tired and flat
With too much town

With too many lifts
Too many floors
Too many neon-lit
Corridors

....
Then stroke the Cat
That warms your knee
You'll find her purr
Is a battery

For into your hands
Will flow the powers
Of the beasts who ignore
These ways of ours

And you'll be refreshed
Through the Cat on your lap
With a Leopard's yawn
And a Tiger's nap.

These short, simple lines bring an entire world to a child--a world they know well. A world of corridors, and elevators, and town. Any school child will agree that a cat is the perfect respite after such a day.

For older children, Hughes' lines are longer and the verse more complex. Take the following example from "Spring Nature Notes" ("Season Songs," the final book in the collection):

The sun lies mild and still on the yard stones.

The clue is a solitary daffodil--the first.

And the whole air struggling in soft excitements
Like a woman hurrying into her silks.
Birds everywhere zipping and unzipping
Changing their minds, in soft excitements,
Arming their wings and trying their voices.

The trees still spindle bare.

Beyond them, from the warmed blue hills
An exhilaration swirls upward, like a huge fish.

As under a waterfall, in the bustling pool.

Over the whole land
Spring thunders down in brilliant silence.

Here you can already talk of more complex poetic matters with an older child. How is this poem structured? What of all the movement in this poem? What does it mean to "thunder down in brilliant silence"? How do birds zip and unzip?

Raymond Briggs' realistic pencil illustrations perfectly complement Hughes' poems. Scattered liberally throughout the volume (on every page in the first three books aimed at younger children), Briggs brings the poems to life with animals, everyday objects, and even humorous interpretations of some of the poems.

Ted Hughes' "Collected Poems for Children" is a perfect gift for children of any age. Just make sure you hand your present to the child directly. I've had my copy for nearly a year now and haven't passed it on to either of my children yet.
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Drawn from Ted Hughes's celebrated programs for the BBC's "Listening and Writing" series, Poetry in the Making is a fresh, student-friendly discussion of what Hughes calls "imaginative writing." Offering generous citations from the work of several English-speaking, mostly modern or contemporary poets--including Hopkins, Dickinson, Eliot, Larkin, Plath, and himself--Hughes provides a useful and readable primer on "the kind of [poetry] writing children can do without becoming false to themselves." Like Kenneth Koch's classic Wishes, Lies, and Dreams, Poetry in the Making presents new ideas on how children and other beginners might best compose their own poems while also presenting candid, and more general, insights that all students and scholars of the art or craft of verse will find inspiring.

And although these pieces were primarily intended to help students improve their creative writingn abilities, they are also an effective introduction to Hughes's own work and the influences other writers have had on him. Hughes, who was Poet Laureate to Queen Elizabeth II at the time of his death 1998, casually and colorfully discusses how he came to write, what inspires him (and why), and the difficulties that he (and other writers) confront when writing.
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Customer Reviews (2)

Good little book
This book was recommended to me by my mentor when I was in graduate school.While more complete Hughes writings on poetry are available, this little volume gets all the major points of writing poetry, although you do have to get past that his target was pre-teens.The notes for teachers are also valuable in that it doesn't have to be used as a teaching plan, but more like a strategy for the new writer to work on the skills that he's talking about.I like this book because it's quick, not terribly expensive, and pretty much gets to the point.Good for the new writer.

Basis of Poetry
The first thing to say as far as recommending the book is that most of the best parts are in "Winter Pollen", the excellent collection of Hughes' essays edited by William Scammell, which is all in all a better, bigger book.

This book is programs he wrote and read on the BBC in the mid-sixties. They are talks directed to children about writing poetry. They would have been incomprehensible to most school age kids I know but this is a different age and country, and I imagine that his encouragement may have been a real benefit to young listeners. And a good part of his encouragement has to do with reflecting on the mystery of existence, as children do. It is a counter-Educational point of view, Education having as its ideal of an answer for every question, or if not an answer, an attitude.Anyway, he encourages the exploration the mysteries of sensory life, and the mysteries of thought and feeling, and the great generally unnoticed difference that exists between experience and the words we represent it with - (this last is in "Winter Pollen").

So it's not really about the writing of poetry so much as it is about Jesus' admonition that we must become as little children. ... Read more

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The new anthology is designed to present a great range of poetry in a fresh and accessible way. Allowing no more than one poem, or passage of poetry, to any poet, the editors have chosen not only work from the established canon of poetry in the English language, but examples, too, from the different languages of Scotland, Ireland and Wales, arranging them by subject matter rather than chronology. The results show the same confidence of taste, breadth of interest and sheer passion that made their previous collaboration so successful. ... Read more

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Glorious
This collection, covering an astonishingly wide range of work from many different historical periods, should be in every library.With as many magical discoveries as old favorites.Not to be missed.

(And be sure to find The Rattle Bag as well). ... Read more

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`Letters to Ted' is a remarkable collection of poems in memory of the late Poet Laureate, Ted Hughes, with whom Daniel Weissbort struck up a friendship, both literary and personal, during their student days in 1950s Cambridge. Swift-moving, by turns contemplative and dramatic in their narration, these spare, poignant, often diary-like poems conjure up a rich history of incidents and memories, creating a moving portrait of a great poet and a lasting friendship. ... Read more

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The great poet's powerful translation of the classic trilogy of Greek drama.

With Tales from Ovid, Ted Hughes was recognized as a superb interpreter of the classics, and with his Birthday Letters, addressed to Sylvia Plath, he was revealed to a large public as a poet of extraordinarily deep feeling. The Oresteia of Aeschylus caps a remarkable year for his poetry.

Aeschylus (525-456 b.c.) was, with Sophocles, the greatest classical Greek dramatist. The Oresteia--Agamemnon, Choephori, and Eumenides--tells the story of the house of Atreus: after King Agamemnon is murdered by Clytemnestra, their son, Orestes, is commanded by Apollo to avenge the crime by killing his mother, and he does so, bringing on himself the wrath of the Furies and the judgment of Athens. Hughes's "acting version" of the trilogy is itself a great performance; while artfully inflected with the contemporary, it has a classical beauty and authority. The Oresteia of Aeschylus deserves to become the standard edition for English-language readers and for the stage, too.Amazon.com Review
During the final years of his life, Ted Hughes poured much ofhis energy into translating the classics. Given the triumph of theBirthday Letters,some readers may regret this canonical moonlighting. Yet it's hard tofeel shortchanged by the work Hughes did produce: his version of Ovid was a brilliantblend of Latinate suavity and contemporary grit, and he negotiated thealexandrines of Racine's Phèdre withspectacular ease. Now we have his translation of the Oresteia,which was commissioned by the Royal National Theater in the late1990s. Has Hughes done right by Aeschylus?

The answer would have to be yes--with a couple ofqualifications. Hughes made no secret of the fact that he was after an"acting version" of the trilogy, one that would convey the power ofAeschylus's classic bloodbath to a modern audience. He has thereforetaken more liberties with the text than we might expect, chopping andchanneling the original to fit his own conception. Perhaps the resultis closer to what RobertLowell called an "imitation"--an attempt to capture the work'sspirit without precisely mimicking its form. In any case, thisOresteia succeeds on both counts. The darkness and destructivemovement of the original remain intact in the Hughes's free-verselines:

The men of Troy are a litter of corpses,
Rubbish-heaps of corpses. Troy on its hill
Cascades with blood, as under a downpour
Of bodies from the heavens,
Shattered and entangled with each other
In every passage--mutilations,
Amputations, eviscerations. The women
Are kneeling, shoulders heaving, with eyes hidden,
Over what were yesterday
Husbands, fathers, sons.
They labour at a grief that is already
The first labour of slaves.

Customer Reviews (4)

Great story, great translation, great read: surprises galore
What a story! What a bloodbath ! It leaves the catsup'y-trite bluster of the typical Hollywood slasher pic in the dust. And it is Hughes who accomplishes this through his translation. Perhaps saying "story by Aeschulus" is not offering the old-timer his due... doubtless, when read in the Greek, the original had the flash and spurt of Hughes' version. But lacking the ancient tongue you'll find some pretty tame translations scattered around the cannon. I know, I checked. (I was so stunned at one of the more brutal story elements that I went to a library copy. Sure enough, Agamemnon's father really did stew his brothers' children and serve them up to his brother - brewing up the similarly brutal chain of revenge and recriminations that the story revolves around. But in the library's vanilla version this segment read more like a particularly dry autopsy report).

Now I can be drawn into a gory tale by a good talespinner like a Stephen King just as much as any other guy... but there is more than spinning of yarn and sloshing of blood here. There is a way in which Hughes' inevitably modern take on the translation subtly exposes the deep cultural differences between those fine ancient peoples and our equally-fine selves. We haven't become more or less vicious or more or less clever - but we have changed in fundamental ways. This tale, in this telling, does suggest, over and over, how a culture's sense of self, of free- or enchained-will, of god(s), and of the inevitable whirl of the cosmic wheel can produce truly different constituents. Different versions of the "God-meme" or even the "self-meme" can deeply infect and transform a culture-centered species like ours.

We've heard for so long how our "Western" tradition sprouts from Athens, but in this telling, those folks have a sense of their place in the universe which is deeply, subtly alien. It made me think of a long ago reading of Julian Jaynes' breathtakingly-titled: "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bi-Cameral Mind.", which posits that ancient minds were explicitly pre-conscious... gods as literally heard voices in the head. This is certainly an odd idea, but one that opens up the notion that radically different kinds of minds could well exist in a homo sapiens transport system.

Hughes delivers this sense of the fundamental other-ness of the Greek world-view through the powerful mix of pre-modern sense of self and of justice delivered in modern speech forms. This contrast builds, appropriately, from the underlying story of Aeschulus, to the confrontation with the deeply primal Furies near the end. It sent chills down my spine to hear their rendering of the cold heartless core of their universe... and to contrast it with the countering argument of Athena for a more reasoned and rational justice. How can Orestes be driven to matricide by the command of one god (buttressed by hair-raising threats) and then be condemned to an even more bitter doom by another group of immortals for accomplishing his mission? The degree to which my own sense of fairness was bruised by the events leading up to this denouement exposed the power of the schism between primal and modern that seems to lie at the heart of the tale.

I won't tell you how it ends, but that's saying something! A thousands-of-years-old story in free verse dramatic form that turns out to be a 'page-turner'! Its a wonderful discovery that will lead me next to Hughes' other translations from his last few years, and might grab you as well.

Made Me Realish Afresh the Power of Language
This may not be the most literal translation of "The Oresteia," but it has to be the most linguistically sensuous and emotionally gripping of them all - conveying the full power of one of the most complex tragediesof all time. A friend of mine recently won raves for his performance ofAgamemnon in a Los Angeles production of "The Greeks," so I hadspent quite a bit of time re-reading Aeschylus (not in the original, I'mafraid) and was reasonably familiar with other translations, but this isthe one I would read over and over, for the sheer power and beauty of it,and the way it tackles (enhances?) the emotional complexity of eachsituation the characters are thrust into. It's an inspiration as well as atreasure.

Made Me Realish Afresh the Power of Language
This may not be the most literal translation of "The Oresteia," but it has to be the most linguistically sensuous and emotionally gripping of them all - conveying the full power of one of the most complex tragediesof all time. A friend of mine recently won raves for his performance ofAgamemnon in a Los Angeles production of "The Greeks," so I hadspent quite a bit of time re-reading Aeschylus (not in the original, I'mafraid) and was reasonably familiar with other translations, but this isthe one I would read over and over, for the sheer power and beauty of it,and the way it tackles (enhances?) the emotional complexity of eachsituation the characters are thrust into. It's an inspiration as well as atreasure.

Orestes for the modern world
As a professor teaching classics in Regents CollegeMaster of Liberal Studies Program, I am always looking for translations that will entrance my students and give them that sensation of the marvelous that many of them can find only in videos and MTV. Hughes' translation of "TheOresteia" is a perfect choice. Sure, there may be in some passages alot more of Hughes than of Aeschylus, but if that's what it takes toreincarnate those ancient and bloody tragic figures, it's a price wellworth paying. After reading this book, I think my students will see"The Sopranos" as just another soap opera. ... Read more

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Full of the power and fantastic imagination of "The Iron Man", this sequel from the former Poet Laureate is a passionate cry against the relentless pollution of the Earth's waterways through the dumping of industrial waste. ... Read more

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DESTROY THE IGNRANT ONE DESTROY
I REALLY LIKE YOUR BOOK AND I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A REPLY TO SAY THANKYOU OR SOME INFORMATOIN ... Read more

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Publisher: First published in 1992, Shakespeare and the Goddess of Complete Being has subsequently taken on a mythic life of its own. Dismissed at the time by some scholars, this audacious adventure in criticism has nevertheless become a talisman of sorts-the fruitful engagement of a great modern poet's imagination with that of the greatest writer in our language. In considerable detail, Ted Hughes argues that our response to Shakespeare's late plays is prompted by a mythic, symbolic structure that inheres in each of them, and binds the entire Shakespearean corpus into a single, massive, complex, and ever-evolving work. ... Read more

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A rich seam of literature & reflection
A rich, rewarding book for anyone who takes the time and is able to follow Mr. Hughes exhaustively argued thesis. In some ways it is a bookend to Robert Graves "White Goddess" and those who enjoyed the one will enjoy the other. Ted Hughes mines very deep veins of poetic ore, his analysis of the thematic connections between the plays are fascinating, and whether or not we accept that Shakespeare was consciously organizing his magnum opus in the way Hughes expounds or not (it may have all been subconscious) this book reminds us once again of the enormous range of Shakespeare's poetic gifts. It is a brilliant book and just as the White Goddess has migrated from the furthest reaches of the forest of prose to the campfires of many a modern poet and writer so Hughes' book will stand the test of time and be returned to again and again. It is a powerful work and demands serious study. The sections where Ted Hughes discusses Shakespeare's "bifurcated language" and his discussion of the mythological underpinnings of the masque in The Tempest are worth the price of the book alone. Take time over this one - there is much to be savoured. ... Read more

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Ted Hughes's critically acclaimed creation stories for children appear here in one collected volume for the first time. These are mesmerising tales from a master storyteller about the creatures around us - how they came to be the shape that they are, and why they behave as they do. The stories span the age range from 4 to 14 and are ideal for reading out loud and sharing amongst the family. ... Read more

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Dreamfighter and Other Creation Tales
These stories are so interesting: stories about God's creation of different animals, both sucesses and failures, and their quirks. Told with an unique sense of humor. Hughes is very original and imaginative. ... Read more

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Ovid’s Metamorphoses is one of the cornerstones of Western culture, the principal source for all the most famous myths of Greece and Rome, and a continuing inspiration for poets, composers and painters alike. This, the first inclusive account of this hugely important poem’s influence on English literature, charts the reception of the poem over the course of six centuries from Chaucer’s enigmatic House of Fame to Ted Hughes’ Tales from Ovid. As well as offering reassessments of works whose debt to Ovid has long been recognized, such as The Tempest and Paradise Lost, Sarah Brown shows that Ovidianism is an even more complex and pervasive phenomenon in English literature than has previously been recognized, and may be found in the most unexpected places. ... Read more

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In The Mermaid's Purse, Ted Hughes explores the ocean. From starfish and seagulls to mermaids and monsters, 28 poems capture the beauty, drama, and mystery of the sea and the seashore. Here is the ghostly cormorant: "Drowned fishermen come back/As famished cormorants/With bare and freezing webby toes/Instead of boots and pants." The strange and comical flounder: "The flounder sees/Through crooked eyes./Through crooked lips/The flounder cries." And the mermaid herself: "Call her a fish,/Call her a girl./Call her the pearl/Of an oyster fresh/On its pearly dish."

By turns lyrical, whimsical, and robust, The Mermaid's Purse showcases the distinctive voice and appreciation of the natural world that made Ted Hughes among the most respected of late-20th-century poets. Made doubly accessible by Flora McDonnell's distinctive black-and-white art, this sea-themed collection will delight children and be welcomed by educators. ... Read more

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Little Purse of Wonder
Ted Hughes has the ability to make the natural world jump at you, alive, off the page. Nowhere is this more evident than in this wonderful cornucopia of sea poems beautifully illustrated by Flora Mcdonnell.

There is literally the zing of sea salt from the moment you open thebook. For a person, like myself, who does not live by the sea, it is atribute to Hughes' power that I felt a whole new world opening in my eyes .This apparent throughout the book, each poem delving deeper and deeper intothe mystery of the ocean.

At no time does the book becomesentimental. Hughes' characteristic truth when it comes to nature isapparent throughout the book. He treats his subjects with the respect theydeserve and in doing so creates a whoolly entertaining yet realisticportrayal of the sea.

A favorite of mine which illustrates this is ashort little poem concerning a mussel, in which Hughes likens it to a tornheart. By turns descriptive and playful, he turns it into a beautiful poemconcerning a creature of the sea which would not usually garner such poeticattention.

This, as such, is the strength of the book. It has anunerring ability to make the ordinary into something exraordinay ensuringthat a walk by the ocean (for children and adults alike) will never be thesame again. ... Read more