Selected Poems in English · An editorial introduction by THE BIRD
What happens when tomorrow arrives without the hope it once promised? In A Bouquet of Tales of Lostness, Jordanian poet Ali Taha Alnobani gathers ten interwoven poetic voices at the edge of a river, where travelers discover that the most painful estrangement can occur without ever leaving home.
Why would someone burn a field because wheat prolongs life? Why kill rabbits because they are eager? These disturbing contradictions form the opening of The Field and the Rabbits, a surrealist poem by Jordanian poet Ali Taha Alnobani.
Can sadness have a color? Can loneliness become a landscape, and can tears give birth to something beautiful? These questions resonate throughout The Tale of the Sorrowful Blue, a lyrical and surrealist poem by Jordanian poet Ali Taha Alnobani.
What happens when the ordinary world begins to lose its familiar meanings? A monkey licks tar beneath a red traffic light. An ancient king buys French fries. The goddess of love counts money, while the wind rises against a world struggling to recognize its own voice.
Octavio Paz (1914–1998) is one of the significant voices in Mexico’s literary history. The central question in this poet’s work is how the poem can become a meeting place for history and perception. To read these poems well is to enter a conversation about the possibilities of language, not merely memorize a name or a famous line.
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Wisława Szymborska (1923–2012) is one of the significant voices in Poland's literary history. The central question in this poet's work is how a modest question can overturn confident assumptions. To read these poems well is to enter a conversation about the possibilities of language, not merely memorize a name or a famous line.
Robert Frost (1874–1963) is one of the significant voices in American literary history. The central question in this poet's work is how ordinary settings can open difficult questions without settling them. To read these poems well is to enter a conversation about the possibilities of language, not merely memorize a name or a famous line.
Sylvia Plath (1932–1963) is one of the significant voices in United States’s literary history. The central question in this poet’s work is how intense metaphor can dramatize psychological conflict. To read these poems well is to enter a conversation about the possibilities of language, not merely memorize a name or a famous line.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861) is one of the significant voices in England’s literary history. The central question in this poet’s work is how the intimate sonnet can share space with public conscience. To read these poems well is to enter a conversation about the possibilities of language, not merely memorize a name or a famous line.
William Blake (1757–1827) is one of the significant voices in England’s literary history. The central question in this poet’s work is how symbolic images expose the tension between innocence and power. To read these poems well is to enter a conversation about the possibilities of language, not merely memorize a name or a famous line.
Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837) is one of the significant voices in Russia's literary history. The central question in this poet's work is how flexible language can bridge everyday speech and high art. To read these poems well is to enter a conversation about the possibilities of language, not merely memorize a name or a famous line.
