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Committed to Memory
"The Road Less Traveled", "If" and "Casey at the Bat" are a few of the classic poems found in this rich compilation of poetry from an array of celebrated writers, such as Whitman, Dickinson, Shakespeare, and Poe. Reprint.
208 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
December 25, 2017
Fantastic collection of poems. I read about it in a New York Times article, ordered it from inter-library loan, and checked it out as many times as I could and still turned it back in late. If you're not a regular reader of poetry, this is a good one to start with. I was amazed at how many literary references and everyday turns of speech I recognized from these classic poems!
February 2, 2021
Exactly who is this book for?
I sincerely don't know. I mean, who even wants to memorize poems, much less 100 of them?
Okay, fine, I might aspire to that, but I am not admitting anything definitely. Setting that hypothetical aside, let's assume that the typical reader who picks this book up wants to memorize a few poems. Or perhaps they just want to read poems worthy of memorization. Let's also assume that they are not already poets, classical scholars, or literature professors, because if they were they would probably already have enough material to memorize.
But, friends, there is no way this book is for those readers! For every poem that is beautifully accessible and a clear candidate for the anthology there are two that confound and puzzle for their inclusion. Naturally this must be a subjective effort, but, still, many of these choices leave me completely baffled.
Here are a few examples of poems that, when I read them aloud, I can see their merits... but really? To memorize? I suppose I would then posit: why memorize? In my mind it's with the possibility of reciting it to someone--and some of these I cannot fathom ever having a desire / situation in which to recite.
These are just a few examples of the poems that make up quite a large portion of this book. They are nice to read and perhaps I will return to study them more. Probably I will change my mind about a few of them.
In spite of this complaint I am still giving 3 stars, because 1) there are many poems that are worthy of their inclusion, 2) the layout is excellent, 3) it's a great collection of poems to read (particularly aloud! I cannot emphasize this enough.)
Some beauties included:
Afton Water by Robert Burns (Nickel Creek has set this to music, highly recommended)
The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus (I did choose to memorize this, thanks to this collection!)
On His Blindness by John Milton
The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats
Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
The Oxen by Thomas Hardy
"All the World's a Stage..." by William Shakespeare
Mending Wall by Robert Frost
Some of the poems my husband and/or I have enjoyed memorizing that are not included in this collection:
"There is a tide..." by William Shakespeare
"We few, we happy few..." by William Shakespeare
If you are really interested in memorizing, I recommend . It's generally available at libraries and while its aim is to coach children in memorizing I think it gives useful tools for an adult, too. Also, I would recommend memorizing Shakespeare over the bulk of these poems any day.
I sincerely don't know. I mean, who even wants to memorize poems, much less 100 of them?
Okay, fine, I might aspire to that, but I am not admitting anything definitely. Setting that hypothetical aside, let's assume that the typical reader who picks this book up wants to memorize a few poems. Or perhaps they just want to read poems worthy of memorization. Let's also assume that they are not already poets, classical scholars, or literature professors, because if they were they would probably already have enough material to memorize.
But, friends, there is no way this book is for those readers! For every poem that is beautifully accessible and a clear candidate for the anthology there are two that confound and puzzle for their inclusion. Naturally this must be a subjective effort, but, still, many of these choices leave me completely baffled.
Here are a few examples of poems that, when I read them aloud, I can see their merits... but really? To memorize? I suppose I would then posit: why memorize? In my mind it's with the possibility of reciting it to someone--and some of these I cannot fathom ever having a desire / situation in which to recite.
These are just a few examples of the poems that make up quite a large portion of this book. They are nice to read and perhaps I will return to study them more. Probably I will change my mind about a few of them.
In spite of this complaint I am still giving 3 stars, because 1) there are many poems that are worthy of their inclusion, 2) the layout is excellent, 3) it's a great collection of poems to read (particularly aloud! I cannot emphasize this enough.)
Some beauties included:
Afton Water by Robert Burns (Nickel Creek has set this to music, highly recommended)
The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus (I did choose to memorize this, thanks to this collection!)
On His Blindness by John Milton
The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats
Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
The Oxen by Thomas Hardy
"All the World's a Stage..." by William Shakespeare
Mending Wall by Robert Frost
Some of the poems my husband and/or I have enjoyed memorizing that are not included in this collection:
"There is a tide..." by William Shakespeare
"We few, we happy few..." by William Shakespeare
If you are really interested in memorizing, I recommend . It's generally available at libraries and while its aim is to coach children in memorizing I think it gives useful tools for an adult, too. Also, I would recommend memorizing Shakespeare over the bulk of these poems any day.
October 9, 2008
What I like about this book is its emphasis on reading poetry with the correct itonation. Then again, I read Hollander's Sound and Sense, so he really believes in sound being a big part of poetic form.
Anyway, this particular collection is divided into five categories (ranging from "Sonnets" to "Songs" to "Meditations") and include both well-known poets (from Shakespeare to Tennyson to Dickinson to Whitman) and less well-known ones. The focus is on poems that are short enough to memorize (hence the title) and, for the most part, rhyme or have a chorus (again, facilitating memorization).
Even though I haven't memorized many of these poems (one need to reread them several times before that can happen), many of the ones included are so memorable (i.e., oft quoted) that one can read along with ease.
I read this book a long time ago, so I was happy to find it again. There are some poems I wish had been included (especially since I naturally tend to add my own personal itonation to each poem as I read it) and others that I probably would have omitted but, overall, this is a nice collection for someone with the desire to commit to memory many of the best poems ever written.
Anyway, this particular collection is divided into five categories (ranging from "Sonnets" to "Songs" to "Meditations") and include both well-known poets (from Shakespeare to Tennyson to Dickinson to Whitman) and less well-known ones. The focus is on poems that are short enough to memorize (hence the title) and, for the most part, rhyme or have a chorus (again, facilitating memorization).
Even though I haven't memorized many of these poems (one need to reread them several times before that can happen), many of the ones included are so memorable (i.e., oft quoted) that one can read along with ease.
I read this book a long time ago, so I was happy to find it again. There are some poems I wish had been included (especially since I naturally tend to add my own personal itonation to each poem as I read it) and others that I probably would have omitted but, overall, this is a nice collection for someone with the desire to commit to memory many of the best poems ever written.
October 31, 2015
This collection was recommended as a start for appreciating poetry and sharing it with my children. I chose to read it first myself before sharing it with them and, for now, I believe that was wise. Poems to me are more like people - there is much to discover I. Each one and repeated readings of a poem reveal more about the author, the time, the culture and the reader.
I wanted to know the poems or have met each one at least once before introducing them to my family. Strange, I suppose - but poems aren't a read one races through or by or any other manner of travel. Poems are stop and stay and carry-with-you literature.
This collection brought together poems and poets I knew well and some I had heard of but never read as well as some which were completely new.
At a poem a day, this will be a good winter book to read over hot chocolate by our fireplace. It is a friendly sort of book - with enough surprises to keep the relationship interesting.
I wanted to know the poems or have met each one at least once before introducing them to my family. Strange, I suppose - but poems aren't a read one races through or by or any other manner of travel. Poems are stop and stay and carry-with-you literature.
This collection brought together poems and poets I knew well and some I had heard of but never read as well as some which were completely new.
At a poem a day, this will be a good winter book to read over hot chocolate by our fireplace. It is a friendly sort of book - with enough surprises to keep the relationship interesting.
March 24, 2016
Unfortunately I was raised in a generation that was not required to memorize any poetry in school. As a homeschooling mom I read poetry to my children (one or two poems before every bedtime story) in the hopes that they would not grow up as deficient as I was.
For years I’ve wished for a book that would put some of the “Poems I Should Have Memorized� in one place. Committed to Memory sounded like just the ticket. After all, its subtitle is �100 Best Poems to Memorize�. Silly me, I assumed it meant “best-loved� poems (as in, poems that most people know and love.) Instead it contained a hundred poems, half well-known and half obscure.
The editor said the selections were chosen for good rhyming (as an aid to memorization) and for length (not too long nor too short). That criteria may have made them more memorize-able, but definitely not more lovable. Not only were many of these poems unfamiliar, most were difficult to understand. And many were downright gloomy.
For years I’ve wished for a book that would put some of the “Poems I Should Have Memorized� in one place. Committed to Memory sounded like just the ticket. After all, its subtitle is �100 Best Poems to Memorize�. Silly me, I assumed it meant “best-loved� poems (as in, poems that most people know and love.) Instead it contained a hundred poems, half well-known and half obscure.
The editor said the selections were chosen for good rhyming (as an aid to memorization) and for length (not too long nor too short). That criteria may have made them more memorize-able, but definitely not more lovable. Not only were many of these poems unfamiliar, most were difficult to understand. And many were downright gloomy.
July 4, 2007
Someday, I am going to put together a book like this only MUCH MUCH BETTER. I memorize a lot of poetry, and this book was a dud - lots of classics, but few of them poems one (I) would want to memorize. There are several schools of thought on memorizing poetry - there's what one "should" memorize (HI, western canon), what is "easy" to memorize, and then there's what one might want to memorize because it's amazing. A good book would blend all of these aspects far better than this one does.
February 28, 2013
I just kept thinking, "WHY?" as I was browsing these selections. Why would I want to have THAT poem in my head forever? Sure, these poems are well-known, popular, important, but also they are largely gruesome, depressing, and outmoded. I don't have so much brainspace free that I can afford to put that sort of thing in here alongside the happy classic poems of my culture.
March 9, 2013
This is a nice collection of poems. I don't think every one is for everyone-- it's sort of a weird and electic collection, and it would have been nice had Hollander shared his criteria for collection-- but as a whole it's a fun little read. I'd get it out of the library rather than purchasing it, though. NB: most of the poems are best read aloud.
September 24, 2007
The poems are nice and it is wonderful to find a collection that is chosen for its recitative beauty, but I found it to be a pretty stagnant collection with little to offer outside of the standard white, western canon. It left me a little restless, even as I enjoyed the poems it does offer.
December 6, 2009
Very disappointing. It features mainly chopped versions of poems - not entire pieces - and includes many for no reason I could see. I'm not quite sure who would like this book...
Shelved as 'xx-dnf-skim-reference'
December 15, 2021Impulse. I only have one poem almost memorized, though I know bits of lots more. I wouldn't mind adding to my repertoire. I have added that I now know from whence the title came. But so far I've not a prayer of memorizing any of the sonnets or 'songs' I've read so far. And it looks like the poems are only going to get longer.
I do very much appreciate the book design. Each poem gets its own page (or two), with a nice little decoration above the title and author of each. Spacious layout, sturdy ivory-colored paper, sufficiently large font. But: no indices... not by author, title, or first line!
---
Skimming now. Really, anyone who is sufficiently interested in poetry to try to understand and memorize these, minimum a dozen lines, already is familiar with the best of them. Shakespeare, Tennyson, Keats, one by Langston Hughes, excerpts from longer works including the Bible... I just don't see the value of this except as "Hollander's favorite shortish poems."
Well, and the fun of seeing the original source of lines like "the silver apples of the moon, the golden apples of the sun."
---
Well, I'm going to call it skimmed, because though I did 'look at' most every word, I surely did not read w/ the attention I would give the kind of poetry I like.
I do like *The Eagle and the Mole* by .
And I want to understand *They flee from me* [sic], by , written sometime in the early 1500s but using the word "newfangleness" (but in a way I do not understand).
December 2021
I do very much appreciate the book design. Each poem gets its own page (or two), with a nice little decoration above the title and author of each. Spacious layout, sturdy ivory-colored paper, sufficiently large font. But: no indices... not by author, title, or first line!
---
Skimming now. Really, anyone who is sufficiently interested in poetry to try to understand and memorize these, minimum a dozen lines, already is familiar with the best of them. Shakespeare, Tennyson, Keats, one by Langston Hughes, excerpts from longer works including the Bible... I just don't see the value of this except as "Hollander's favorite shortish poems."
Well, and the fun of seeing the original source of lines like "the silver apples of the moon, the golden apples of the sun."
---
Well, I'm going to call it skimmed, because though I did 'look at' most every word, I surely did not read w/ the attention I would give the kind of poetry I like.
I do like *The Eagle and the Mole* by .
And I want to understand *They flee from me* [sic], by , written sometime in the early 1500s but using the word "newfangleness" (but in a way I do not understand).
December 2021
Read
November 15, 2024A greatest-hits collection, understandably when rhyming is such an aid for memorization, but at times almost too much about greatest hits.
Still, it was a joy to reread some of these, and there were of course new discoveries.
Dog-eared:
"Song of Myself #11," Whitman
"The Owl and the Pussycat," Lear
the Venice excerpt from Byron's "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage"
"A Narrow Fellow in the Grass," Dickinson
"Snow-Flakes," Longfellow (which is the one I'd memorize if I was gonna)
Wow, that Browning poem "My Last Duchess" is good.
Still, it was a joy to reread some of these, and there were of course new discoveries.
Dog-eared:
"Song of Myself #11," Whitman
"The Owl and the Pussycat," Lear
the Venice excerpt from Byron's "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage"
"A Narrow Fellow in the Grass," Dickinson
"Snow-Flakes," Longfellow (which is the one I'd memorize if I was gonna)
Wow, that Browning poem "My Last Duchess" is good.
September 19, 2017
This is a collection of mostly 19th and 20th century poems selected for their suitability for reading aloud and memorization. Some were familiar, or had familiar lines, but most were not. I read this aloud for my own enjoyment and picked at least one to memorize just for pleasure. The author's introduction has some good pointers on how to read or recite a poem aloud that will enhance the experience for listeners.
May 9, 2018
This collection of poems was a nice beginning step on my journey of expanding my appreciation for poetry. I attached sticky notes to several gems worth revisiting. William Ernest Henley's phrase "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul" spoke to me this evening. No surprise that nature, love, and sorrow are very common themes. Need to seek out poetry with other themes.
January 23, 2020
A nice collection. I liked the variety of styles. Some poetry, like some works of art, is still a little hard for me to grasp. I like words that flow smoothly and paint a picture and sound pleasing to the ear. But everyone's got their own style. What's important is to keep creating art in the world.
February 28, 2019
This collection was a fantastic fit for me as an introduction to reading great poetry. I also found several new to me poets to read more and several poems to share with my kids both for memory and copy work.
March 16, 2017
Easy read. Much to contemplate. "The Darkling Thrush" was my favorite.
March 26, 2019
Solid, there are some great classics in here that I had heard about but never actually read.
March 20, 2024
Has many well known poems. Nice collection.
February 1, 2017
Picked this out from books that I own because my sister's book club is including a "favorite poem" month-- there are some real favorites in this collection, although I miss a few--several Shakespeare sonnets are included, but not my favorite, sonnet 29 "When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes" and includes several that I think are dogs like Kipling's "If" (yuck). Got to revisit a few I hadn't thought of for a while-- Shelly "Ozymandias" and a couple Frost (though not "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" I love that tired old poem!). It does include the Frost "good fences make good neighbors" poem ("Mending Wall") which seems awfully timely! Also includes the scary Yeats "The Second Coming" that Stephen King quoted in "The Stand." The poem is even scarier than the book, very impressive at only 22 lines.
August 16, 2008
This physically handsome book has an excellent concept: a selection of poems that are not just wonderful to read, but also ideal for memorization. While some of the memorization is too difficult -- like other reviewers, I think Frost offers better candidates for memorization than "Mending Wall" -- other poems are well suited to committing to memory, like cummings' "anyone lived in a pretty how town;" Hopkins' "Spring and Fall;" and, yes, Lear's "The Owl and the Pussycat." The acts of memorization gives ownership to the poem unlike other reading experiences, and provides sustenance long after the book is read.
June 23, 2011
I think I'm a poetry plebian. It seems like the poetry I like most is that which is most appealing to the general public. I like the stuff that has a strong meter, is easy to memorize, and expresses an idea in an out-of-the-ordinary but easy-to-appreciate kind of way. So, this collection was right up my alley. I didn't read it all, but what I did read, I enjoyed. I particularly loved the first piece, simply titled "Sonnet." To me, it encapsulated in a beautiful way two of my favorite things: flowing water and music. Beautiful. This is one I wouldn't mind owning.
August 3, 2009
My poetry project has me reading more poems; I need to read poetry to know what I want to memorize. This has some great suggestions, including "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus. Most people only know the final few lines of this sonnet: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddle masses yearning to breathe free." It also includes "Casey at the Bat" and other gems, as well as some more obscure ones.
April 27, 2016
This is a very approachable and readable group of poems for someone like me who wants to be in tune with and affected by all the poems but rarely achieves it. Many of my favorite poems and poets are included and indeed I have been persuaded to memorize at least a few loose stanzas. Really lucky to have randomly found this book at the library.
April 19, 2008
The only one I have actually committed to memory is At The Round Earth's Imagined Corners, but this is a nice collection of poetry. It really is good stuff to read aloud - and a good beginning collection for someone who wants to learn to like poetry.
April 13, 2011
An excellent collection of poems short enough to memorize, flawed only by an attempt to give equal space to different poet forms. The collection of poems in the last section, classified as "meditations," far overshadows the earlier parts of the book.
June 22, 2011
Some good names, some a little too well used. For Shakespeare and Hopkins, I would have picked other poems. Good Tennyson. Still a good read for those looking to expand their personal index of classical poetry.
May 31, 2012
This is a really nice introduction to poetry for the true beginner. The poems are reasonably diverse, accessible and familiar enough to not be scarily deeeeeeeeeep and meeeeeeeeeaningful. Some of them are good for memorizing but not all. Viewer discretion is advised. But all are worth reading.
February 5, 2012
A great collection and way to get started into poetry. Yes, some of the poems are abridged. Yes, there is better poetry. However, for what this book is, it is a fairly excellent selection of poetry. Recommend.
June 6, 2012
I love this book! I grabbed it on my way out to sit on the porch with a cup of tea and ended up sitting there for a while, reading poems from this book out loud to myself.
I read poetry frequently and found this to be a great collection. Enjoy!
I read poetry frequently and found this to be a great collection. Enjoy!
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