Symptoms of Love
Love is a universal migraine.A bright stain on the visionBlotting out reason.Symptoms of true loveAre leanness, jealousy,Laggard dawns;Are omens and nightmares--Listening for a knock,Waiting for a sign:For a touch of her fingersIn a darkened room,For a searching look.Take courage, lover!Could you endure such griefAt any hand but hers?
-Robert Graves
Robert Graves (1895-1985) was an English poet who conveniently wrote a short book called More Poems 1961. What could be better for a year club poetry post, I ask you? 😉
Thanks to Kaggsy and Simon for hosting.
I don't actually have that first edition shown above, of course. Allow Gumby to introduce the beat-up paperback I do have:
Oh thanks, I need to try his poetry!
ReplyDeletewow, just discovered he is the one who wrote I, Claudius. I had no idea he was also a poet. Just requested his collected poems from my library. Thanks again
ReplyDeleteHis big book on mythology, The White Goddess, is interesting too, if idiosyncratic.
DeleteHope you enjoy them!
That first line: Love is a universal migraine! Made me smile and shake my head at the same time. Are all his poems darkly humorous in tone?
ReplyDeleteNot all of them, but it's a mode he does a lot. And they're generally pretty easy reading.
DeleteA precocious boy I babysat some 50 years ago was assigned to write to his favorite author when he was about 8. Everyone else in the class wrote to Donald Sobol, who wrote the Encyclopedia Brown series the teach had just read to them. Patrick wrote to Robert Graves and got a reply about a month later! I will have to ask if he still has it.
ReplyDeleteHa, that's great. I'd have been writing to Encyclopedia Brown author, too.
DeleteI've read The White Goddess, and Goodbye to All That (not I, Claudius... which you'd think would've been my first choice) but it's hard to put this poem with either!
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I haven't read I, Claudius either, which seems like it ought to be the obvious one.
DeleteSome of his poetry does definitely go with The White Goddess