Sword Blades and Poppy Seed

Sword Blades and Poppy Seed (1914) is a poetry collection by Amy Lowell, published at the beginning of her career as an imagist. The title poem is an imaginative voyage into the mind of a poet struggling with writers block. The poems are personal and public, engaging with tradition while maintaining Lowell's private voice. This edition is a classic work of American poetry reimagined for modern readers.

Format: Hardback
Length: 154 pages
Publication date: 15 February 2022
Publisher: West Margin Press

Published at the dawn of her career as an influential imagist dedicated to classical poetic themes and forms, Sword Blades and Poppy Seed is a nimble and promising work from a pioneering poet of the early twentieth century. The title poem of Lowells collection is an imaginative journey into the mind of a poet struggling with writers block, who scours the city in search of "the slightest tinge of gold" to no avail: "From time to time I wrote a word / Which lines and circles overscored. / My table seemed a graveyard, full / Of coffins waiting burial." Disgusted with her inability to write anything meaningful, she takes to the streets, encountering a strange old man—part poppy dealer, part devil—who offers success in exchange for the poets soul. Personal and public, keenly engaged with tradition—the Faustian legend, in particular—while maintaining her own private voice, Lowells poems are an essential contribution to one of humanitys oldest art forms.

Sword Blades and Poppy Seed is a vibrant collection from an emerging poet who would come to define the imagist movement throughout her storied career. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition Amy Lowells Sword Blades and Poppy Seed is a classic work of American poetry reimagined for modern readers.

Published at the dawn of her career as an influential imagist dedicated to classical poetic themes and forms, Sword Blades and Poppy Seed is a nimble and promising work from a pioneering poet of the early twentieth century. The title poem of Lowells collection is an imaginative journey into the mind of a poet struggling with writers block, who scours the city in search of "the slightest tinge of gold" to no avail: "From time to time I wrote a word / Which lines and circles overscored. / My table seemed a graveyard, full / Of coffins waiting burial." Disgusted with her inability to write anything meaningful, she takes to the streets, encountering a strange old man—part poppy dealer, part devil—who offers success in exchange for the poets soul. Personal and public, keenly engaged with tradition—the Faustian legend, in particular—while maintaining her own private voice, Lowells poems are an essential contribution to one of humanitys oldest art forms.

Sword Blades and Poppy Seed is a vibrant collection from an emerging poet who would come to define the imagist movement throughout her storied career. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition Amy Lowells Sword Blades and Poppy Seed is a classic work of American poetry reimagined for modern readers.

Dimension: 203 x 127 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781513132495