E. E. Cummings Poetry

I wanted a place to share my love of E. E. Cummings and his poetry. If you have any questions or requests, feel free to send me a message through my ASK box. Follow on twitter @eecummingsquote

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if everything happens that can't be done

if everything happens that can't be done (and anything's righter than books could plan) the stupidest teacher will almost guess (with a run skip around we go yes) there's nothing as something as one

one hasn't a why or because or although (and buds know better than books don't grow) one's anything old being everything new (with a what which around we come who) one's everyanything so

so world is a leaf so a tree is a bough (and birds sing sweeter than books tell how) so here is away and so your is a my (with a down up around again fly) forever was never till now

now i love you and you love me (and books are shutter than books can be) and deep in the high that does nothing but fall (with a shout each around we go all) there's somebody calling who's we

we're anything brighter than even the sun (we're everything greater than books might mean) we're everyanything more than believe (with a spin leap alive we're alive) we're wonderful one times one

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Not necessarily my favorite (who can choose just one) but if you're taking requests could you post LIV? first line "if everything happens that can't be done" Great job on this blog btw!

Absolutely!

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who holds the copyright for "Yes is a pleasant country? I'd like to use the poem in my memoir because it had a special value to me.

Hmm I'm not sure. I've never worked with copyright before.

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Who wrote "make it no more difficult for God than the earth makes it for spring when it wants to come" ?

I haven't heard this quote before. Followers, any ideas?

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I’m trying to find the cummings poem with the line “everyone is elsewhere except for me.” It’s all torn up cummings style, so google has been no help :/

Hmm... not able to find anything. Do you know any other lines from the poem that might help? Followers, any ideas?

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i just wanted to thank you for this. i've adored the moon is hiding in her hair since i read it when i was in my late teens. i am now in my late 79s.

My pleasure. I love being able to connect with a community of others who also enjoy his poetry. What a great choice for a favorite poem. Here it is for any who'd like to read it:

the moon is hiding in her hair. The lily of heaven full of all dreams, draws down. cover her briefness in singing close her with the intricate faint birds by daisies and twilights Deepen her, Recite upon her flesh the rain’s pearls singly-whispering.

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What is the pun in the name little i

My first thought is that it is quite literally a lowercase "I" that he uses in a poem aka a "little i". He's also referring to himself as a child, so it's a "littler" version of himself.

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"whereas your lover"

(being forever born a foolishwiseproudhumble citizen of ecstasiesmore steep than climb can time with all his years)

he’s free into the beauty of the truth;

and strolls the axis of the universe--love. Each believing world denies, whereasyour lover(looking through both life and death)timelessly celebrates the merciful

wonder no world deny may or believe.

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What is a "whereling" and a "whenling?"

I consider them to be pieces of space and time. 

Followers - what do you think?

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Could you analyse or at least make a comment on May I be gay ?Thank you ^^

may i be gaylike every larkwho lifts his life

from all the darkwho wings his whybeyond becauseand sings an if

of day to yes

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Which poem ends with "the son of man goes forth to war with trumpets, clap and syphillis." ??

come,gaze with me upon this domeof many coloured glass,and seehis mother’s pride,his father’s joy,unto whom duty whispers low

“thou must!” and who replies “I can!”--yon clean upstanding well dressed boythat with his peers full oft hath quaffedthe wine of life and found it sweet--a tear within his stern blue eye,upon his firm white lips a smile,one thought alone:to do or diefor God for country and for Yale

above his blond determined headthe sacred flag of truth unfurled,in the bright heyday of his youththe upper class American

unsullied stands,before the world:with manly heart and conscience free,upon the front steps of her homeby the high minded pure young girl

much kissed,by loving relativeswell fed,and fully photographedthe son of man goes forth to warwith trumpets clap and syphilis

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Is there a published collection that contains the poem "be of love(a little)?"

It would definitely be in his collection of works! 

I have the older version of this compilation: 

https://www.amazon.com/e-cummings-Complete-Poems-1904-1962/dp/1631490419/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1498252526&sr=8-3&keywords=ee+cummings

[eecummingspoetry]

Not a question, but a critically important word (in caps below) you left out of your presentation of "if i have made my lady", and the absence of which converted cummings' concluding clause into an agrammatical phrase: "lady THROUGH whose profound and fragile lips...." Please fix ASAP.

Thanks for taking the time to look through that! I actually can’t find any version of the poem that uses "lady THROUGH whose profound and fragile lips...."Would you be able to write back and provide a link? I’ve only been able to find it as I originally posted it on this page a few years back. 

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Hi! i've to present a poem from e. e. cummingsu in advance titled 'parents' in my english class next week. the thing is, i've been searching for a week or so, and still couldn't find it. please, if you have the poem, it'd be much appreciated if you could post/share the poem. thank you in advance

I wasn’t able to find a poem called “parents,” but here is one he wrote about parents. 

“if there are any heavens my mother will(all by herself)haveone.  It will not be a pansy heaven nora fragile heaven of lilies-of-the-valley butit will be a heaven of blackred rosesmy father will be(deep like a rosetall like a rose)

standing near my

swaying over her(silent)with eyes which are really petals and see

nothing with the face of a poet really whichis a flower and not a face withhandswhich whisperThis is my beloved my 

                                    (suddenly in sunlighthe will bow,

& the whole garden will bow)”

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home means that

home means that  when the certainly roof leaks it ‘s our(home

means if any moon or possibly sun shines they are our also my

darling)but should some im probably unworld crash to 1

nonillion(&so)nothings each(let’s kiss)means home

[eecummingspoetry]

XXXII

XXXII

i’ve come to ask you if there isn’t a new moon outside your window sayin if

that’s all,just if”                          “that’s all there is to say”

(and she looked)“especially in winter”(like a leaf opening)               as we stood,one(truthed by wisping tinily the silverest

alive silentness god ever breathed

upon beginning)                           “beautiful o most beautiful”her,my life worships and (night)            then “everything beautiful can grow”

my,her life marvels “here’ll be a canoe

and a whole world and then a single hair again” marvels “and liars kill their kind

but” her,my “love creates love only” our

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Hey, so in my English class I was assigned e e Cummings to work on for the rest of the year, and he is such a great poet! But do you have any suggestions to write an interpretation of one of his poems? Maybe about flowers and moons or something....I dunno but I can't figure out which poem to chose

I’d love to help with this! Here’s a great poem about flowers, moons, and love. The Cummings trifecta. If you want to take a stab at it and send an interpretation to me, I’m happy to help and make suggestions.  

“who knows if the moon’sa balloon,coming out of a keen cityin the sky--filled with pretty people?(and if you and i should

get into it,if theyshould take me and take you into their balloon,why thenwe’d go up higher with all the pretty people

than houses and steeples and clouds:go sailingaway and away sailing into a keencity which nobody’s ever visited,where

alwaysit’sSpring)and everyone’sin love and flowers pick themselves”