Sour Grapes

by William Carlos Williams

 

SOUR GRAPES

SOUR GRAPES

A Book of Poems

BOSTON
The Four Seas Company
1921

Copyright, 1921, by
The Four Seas Company

The Four Seas Press
Boston, Mass., U. S. A.

To
ALFRED KREYMBORG

Certain of the poems in this book have appeared in the magazines: Poetry, a Magazine of Verse, The Egoist, The Little Review, The Dial, Others, and Contact.

CONTENTS

Page

The Late Singer ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

11

March ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

12

Berket and the Stars ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

17

A Celebration ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

18

April ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

21

A Goodnight ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

22

Overture to a Dance of Locomotives ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

24

Romance Moderne ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

26

The Desolate Field ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

30

Willow Poem ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

31

Approach of Winter ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

32

January ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

33

Blizzard ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

34

To Waken an Old Lady ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

35

Winter Trees ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

36

Complaint ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

37

The Cold Night ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

38

Spring Storm ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

39

The Delicacies ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

40

Thursday ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

43

The Dark Day ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

44

Time, the Hangman ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

45

To a Friend ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

46

The Gentle Man ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

47

The Soughing Wind ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

48

Spring ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

49

Play ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

50

Lines ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

51

The Poor ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

52

Complete Destruction ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

53

Memory of April ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

54

Epitaph ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

55

Daisy ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

56

Primrose ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

57

Queen-Ann's-Lace ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

58

Great Mullen ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

59

Waiting ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

60

The Hunter ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

61

Arrival ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

62

To a Friend Concerning Several Ladies ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

63

Youth and Beauty ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

65

The Thinker ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

66

The Disputants ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

67

The Tulip Bead ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

68

The Birds ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

69

The Nightingales ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

70

Spouts ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

71

Blueflags ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

72

The Widow's Lament in Springtime ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

73

Light Hearted William ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

74

Portrait of the Author ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

75

The Lonely Street ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

77

The Great Figure ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

78

SOUR GRAPES