Into the Wardrobe

I'd like to begin a new topic on the poetry of C. S. Lewis.

C. S. Lewis wanted to be a poet. His first two published volumes were books of poetry--Spirits in Bondage and Dymer. Though he failed to make his literary name as a poet, he published verse all of his life. Most of it has been collected in Poems, edited by Walter Hooper.

A lot of people don't like Lewis's poetry. One of the first lectures I ever heard about him as a writer was back in my undergraduate days. The lecturer, who had done a Ph.D. in Lewis studies, began, "The first thing I read by C. S. Lewis was his poetry--and I didn't like it at all." Unfortuantely, that seems to characterize many peoples' attitudes toward his poems.

But I LIKE HIS POETRY! I always have and am puzzled at why it gets such a bad reception. So I'd like to explore the topic. Some possible items to take up:

Do you like C. S. Lewis's poetry? Why? What is your favorite poem and why?

If you dislike it, or can't connect with it, tell us about that.

Who is your favorite poet? How does Lewis measure up to this poet's skill? How do you compare them?

I have published some poetry. If you want to see some of my poems, go to my web site for a sampling.

I'd really like to talk about the poetry, so please chime in if you have an opinion.

David

p.s. I will answser all these questions myself but I'd like to hear what other people have to say first.

dwl

Bill, a lot of it leaves me completely cold, too; but there are two poems I can remember liking very much.

One's called The Day with the White Mark[/i; the other is [i]The Country of the Blind.

Having just finished reading Surprised by Joy, I wonder ... perhaps some of the poetry was written in his younger days? when he was a different person from the one who wrote all the books we know and love?

What other poet is my favorite? ummm ... must admit I'm not much of one for poetry ... let's see ... John Donne!!!

Just got out to browse A Poetry Sampler, edited by Donald Hall ... there are so many excellent poems, of such variety and power, at least I can understand and applaud your wish to talk to others who enjoy them, David.

Best regards,
Jenn

David, it's WESTERN Grove, Arkansas ... up near the top westish middle of Arkansas :) ... we're next door to Searcy County. I grew up in Detroit, actually ... so we have gone in opposite directions over the lifetime; you went north .. I went south ..

Nice you've gone in for poetry, actually. Yes, The Day with the White Mark seems to be about one of Lewis's themes he also mentions somewhere in Surprised by Joy (I think (duhhh)) about how our moods can be completely unrelated to EVENTS. (This is surely borne out by modern psychiatry and all the talk about neurotransmitters, thyroid, adrenals, serotonin-enhancing foods and drugs, etc.). I remember him saying something about he could have kissed the scullery taps. One of the nice things about Lewis is he focuses on JOY and HAPPINESS and can describe them so well. There was another poem in which he said something like "as if there were transparent earth and you could look down and see transparent tree roots growing in it" (not sure exactly which one!! ... might've been the same one?) somehow the very words transport the mind of the reader into that state of glory he is describing.

I LOVE The Country of the Blind ... what other poem can anyone think of that describes ... oh ... what it describes, like Lucy trying to tell Peter and Edmond and Susan about Narnia!!!

Best regards,
Jenn

I've never been able to FIND any of Lewis' poetry--except for a couple scattered examples ("Evolutionary Hymn" and "In Memory of Helen Joy Davidman"). But I quite liked them.

I've never een able to get into his poetry. I don't know whether it's because his poetry is poor or that I'm a poor reader of poetry (which I am).

For one thing, his poetry is very "dense". You have to work harder to read his poetry than, say, Robert Service's (one of my favorite poets). I'm dyslexic and I have to work hard enough to get meaning out of printed language as it is.

There's a passage in "Dymer" by Lewis that I really liked. I'm sorry I don't have the book. But it was about a third of the way through the cantos. I know he says there was hardly anything "spiritual" but I thing that you can learn a lot from it. Even outright paganism has something to teach us. Anyhow, in the passage describing his approach in the night to a lighted building he said something to the effect 'For very strangeness drawing near grows hard.' (that's a really loose paraphrase) I liked it because it made me think of what it's like to approach something we don't know or believe to be true. As we come closer, though we are enchanted and delighted to draw near, fear seems to grip us and sometimes hinders us from apprehending 'divine light'.