What I'm Reading: Riprap and Cold Mountain Poems

Since the late 1960s, I've kept Gary Snyder's poetry near to hand. His writings have touched me in many ways, but especially in their emphasis on the long unfolding of a single human life.

I return most frequently to Riprap and Cold Mountain Poems (first published in 1965) for its focus on ordinary work and its connection to wildness within and without.

And Snyder's translation of a selection of Han Shan's poetry continues to be the best available (in my view as a non-Chinese reader).

Here's Snyder reading "Hay for the Horses," one of my favorite poems from the book.

And here's the text of the poem:

Hay for the Horses
by Gary Snyder

He had driven half the night
From far down San Joaquin
Through Mariposa, up the
Dangerous Mountain roads,
With his big truckload of hay
        behind the barn.
With winch and ropes and hooks
We stacked the bales up clean
To splintery redwood rafters
High in the dark, flecks of alfalfa
Whirling through shingle-cracks of light,
Itch of haydust in the
        sweaty shirt and shoes.
At lunchtime under black oak
Out in the hot corral,
---The old mare nosing lunchpails,
Grasshoppers crackling in the weeds---
"I'm sixty-eight" he said,
"I first bucked hay when I was seventeen.
I thought, that day I started,
I sure would hate to do this all my life.
And dammit, that's just what
I've gone and done."

Thank you for reading Ox Herding. Best wishes for the weekend!

Barry

 

Comments

[David Clark]

Barry,

I also have been reading "Riprap and Cold Mountain Poems". I recently discovered a beautiful Fiftieth Anniversary Edition, which not only comes in a lovely hardcover edition, but it includes a CD with the entire book read by Snyder! In addition to the reading, which was recently recorded, there are some historic recordings of him reading back in 1954. It is interesting to compare the smooth, slower paced reading of the mature poet with the intense, more rapid, almost fiery reading of the young man.

Although I prefer the Burton Watson translation, I love Snyder's take on Han Shan as well. By the way, there is a new translation out from Shambhala, by J.P. Seaton. It is a sweet little hardcover volume, truly a fit for one's pocket. These versions of the poems are different enough to be interesting and thus makes a valuable addition to the English language Cold Mountain texts.

The more the merrier!

[Uku]

Uuh, I love that feeling in Snyder's poems! Brilliant stuff! I want to be a cowboy!

[Jon]

That's funny. I just got this book for my birthday last week. Thanks for recommending it!

[Kevin]

Nice! I have this book with the audio cd of Gary reading the whole book... it's amazing!