Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 Ahh the stars.. March 11, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
"I saw a man pursuing the horizon.." One of the most compelling and thought provoking poems ever to come out in print.The beat Poets,Thomas..Who can compare to the thought provoking intimacy and reality of Mr. Crane! The man who walks into a bullet in Red Badge of Courage! (Isn't that what he does? Or does he run away..Ms. Kenney help me out..)"I saw a man pursuing the horizon.Round and Round they sped.I was disturbed at this,and so I accosted the man.'It is futile' said I.'You can never..' 'You lie!' he cried,and ran on.." (I think That's how it goes..)
 A poem must be heard more than seen November 7, 2005
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Black riders came from the sea.
There was clang and clang of spear and shield,
And clash and clash of hoof and heel,
Wild shouts and the wave of hair
In the rush upon the wind:
Thus the ride of sin.
The above is the title poem of Crane's first collection, and one of his most well- known poems.
The poems of Crane are written in a simple clear language. But their meaning is often enhanced by some symbolic connection, and remains mysterious and open to suggestive interpretation.
They do not have in my feeling a strong internal rhythmic connection, and lack the memorable quality of the poems of other nineteenth century American poets, Whitman, Dickenson, Poe.
I feel somehow that Crane is more a poet of the eye than of the ear. He covers a wide range of subjects providing both an echo of his own inner life and a reflection on the world he sees.
My sense is that the Poetry is very much secondary to the prose, primarily ' The Red Badge of Courage'.
Like Keats he died very young leaving open the question of whether he might have developed in his poetic work , a dimension he does not have now.
Hate poetry? - you'll LOVE this August 21, 2004
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
A review as concise and biting as Crane's poetry. Poems for those who "don't get it." War, love, God - one's very existence - stripped down to the essentials. To be read and re-read. Simply awesome!
for lovers of poetry, old or modern November 21, 2003
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
this collection of crane's complete poetry is divided into four sections. the two most important sections are the two volumes of poetry crane published, which were -the black riders and other lines- and -war is kind-. the third section consists of "uncollected poems", i.e. poems that were published in magazines but did not appear in the two collections, and posthumously published poems. as the other reviewers have stated, crane was not and is not known for his poetry, but it is quite magnificent. in general his poetry is surprisingly modern. they tend to be more prose-oriented although he often uses literal or loosely repeated sections (i.e. refrains) to good effect. his poetry also tends to be didactic (often taking the form of a parable with such "characters" as mountains, angels, and philosophers), morbid, and direct. which is certainly not to say that they aren't also emotional, masterful, and engaging. -the black riders- as a whole is more straightforward than the poems in -war is kind-. in general the poems in -black riders- center around the metaphysical, with themes such as religion, ethics, and philosphy appearing often. although -war is kind- contains many of the same themes, it also includes more concrete themes, such as war, the many facets of a man's relationship with a woman, and specific occurrences and objects such as the printing of newspapers. the uncollected and posthumous poetry is varied, but just as excellent if not better than the poems in the two collections. this edition is quite attractive, a nice size with a mostly competent introductory essay that sheds light on the background of the publishing of crane's two collections. the print itself is generally clean and attractive, although occasionally there are some notable flaws in the printing where a line is too dark or too light. all in all, though, this collection is highly recommended as it is complete and crane's poetry is well worth reading and timelessly relevant.
Shards of Brutal Beauty October 5, 2003
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Perfect, concise, cynical, truthful, natural poems. Very consistent.
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