The Concise Verse

Recent Episodes

49
Aug. 30, 2026

"Chapter Heading" by Ernest Hemingway

For we have thought the longer thoughts And gone the shorter way. And we have danced to devils’ tunes, Shivering home to pray; To serve one master in the night, Another in the day.
48
Aug. 23, 2026

"Taking Leave of a Friend" by Ezra Pound

Blue mountains to the north of the walls, White river winding about them; Here we must make separation And go out through a thousand miles of dead grass. Mind like a floating wide cloud, Sunset like the parting of old acquaintances Who bow over their clasped hands at a distance. Our horses neigh to each other as we are departing.
47
Aug. 16, 2026

"El Hombre" by William Carlos Williams

It’s a strange courage you give me ancient star: Shine alone in the sunrise toward which you lend no part!
46
Aug. 9, 2026

"Epitaph for a Romantic Woman" by Louise Bogan

She has attained the permanence She dreamed of, where old stones lie sunning. Untended stalks blow over her Even and swift, like young men running. Always in the heart she loved Others had lived,—she heard their laughter. She lies where none has lain before, Where certainly none will follow after.
45
Aug. 2, 2026

"Prime" by Amy Lowell

YOUR voice is like bells over roofs at dawn When a bird flies And the sky changes to a fresher color. Speak, speak, Beloved. Say little things For my ears to catch And run with them to my heart.
44
July 26, 2026

"Theology" by Paul Laurence Dunbar

There is a heaven, for ever, day by day, The upward longing of my soul doth tell me so. There is a hell, I'm quite as sure; for pray If there were not, where would my neighbours go?

Recent Blog Posts

Aug. 30, 2026

The Divided Soul: Ernest Hemingway's "Chapter Heading"

First published in 1923 in his rare debut book Three Stories and Ten Poems, "Chapter Heading" is a vivid example of a lesser-known side of Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961). Long before he became a giant of modern American fiction, Hemingway was a young …
Aug. 23, 2026

Sorrowful Partings: Ezra Pound's "Taking Leave of a Friend"

First published in 1915 in his groundbreaking collection Cathay, "Taking Leave of a Friend" is a masterclass in imagery and restraint by Ezra Pound (1885–1972). What makes Cathay one of the most remarkable feats in modern literature is that Pound di…
Aug. 16, 2026

Solitary Courage: William Carlos Williams's "El Hombre"

First published in 1917 in his third poetry collection, Al Que Quiere! ("To Him Who Wants It!"), "El Hombre" is a striking four-line study in quiet resilience by William Carlos Williams (1883–1963). Williams led an extraordinary double life: by day,…