Fred Chappell continues to astonish. In his new collection of verse, he matches the vitality and grace, the deep intelligence and keenly observant sensibility, that characterize such earlier works as Midquest and Source. First and Last Words revives the traditional practice of supplying new prologue and epilogue poems to classic works of literature. The poems invite renewed acquaintance with familiar works and authors―The Georgics and The Dynasts, Livy and Lucretius, Goethe and Tolstoy, The Wind in the Willows―and are offered as a celebration of their enduring significance. In “The Watchman,” a prologue to the Orteseia, Chappell writes:
The watchman keeps his vigil on the roof
Of the ruining house. This long year,
Stretched out on his belly like a hound,
He has awaited the semaphore
Blaze, awaited proof
Of the victory that shall pull down
A proud and bitter family. In rain
Or cold starshine, gripping the eave,
He has searched the hard horizon for a sign.
Still other poems are appreciations of music or the visual arts, as in “My Hand Placed on a Rubens Drawing”:
The ages work toward mastery
Of a single gesture. A torso’s twist,
The revelation of a thigh,
White stone corded in a fist:
Fragments that might still add up
To compose a figure of the perfected soul
As it releases from the grip
Of vision that burned to draw it whole.
All of the poems in First and Last Words are marked by a thoughtful use of the voice and a careful attention to language. They confirm Fred Chappell’s status as one of our very finest living poets.
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Very Good - Crisp, clean, unread book with some shelfwear/edgewear, may have a remainder mark - NICE Standard-sized. Seller Inventory # M0807114871Z2
Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: Near Fine. No Jacket. First Trade Paperback. Bound in glossy wraps. 1st simultaneous paperback edition; 57pp. Seller Inventory # 905951
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: No Dust Jacket. First Edition. Signed. A Very Good copy in paper covers of this poetry collection. Tanning at the outer edges of the text block, and to the blank front endpaper. The binding is sound, the text is clean, and there is little cover wear. Briefly inscribed and signed by the author. Signed as "Fred and Susan" (Fred's wife), but in the hand of Fred Chappell. Inscribed by Author(s). Book. Seller Inventory # 048369
Book Description Trade Paperback. Condition: Near Fine. First Edition, Later Printing. This is a near fine trade paperback copy, cream colored cover. First edition, second printing. Inscribed by the author on the title page. Seller Inventory # 027082