William Jay Smith has been one of the most respected figures on the
literary scene for more than half a century. Two of his thirteen poetry
collections were finalists for the National Book Award, and the present
volume is clearly the work of a true American master.
The volume opens with a poetic sequence, "The Atoll," concerning the
tiny coral island of Palmyra during World War II. Finding himself on the
narrow rim of an extinct volcano at almost the exact center of the
Pacific, water on all sides, breakers pounding the reef, the poet evokes
the distinct sensation that he had of being at the heart of Herman
Melville's "oceans vast." In lines resonant and memorable, he recalls
the "terrifying beauty" of standing at night on what seemed then the
very edge of the earth.
The poet next addresses our current daily terror--war and destruction.
In "Invitation to Ground Zero" he presents a moving tribute to a victim
of the September 11 disaster, while in "Willow Wood" a soldier, having
recently lost both his legs in a roadside blast, utters without a trace
of self-pity strong words on future wars. Tragedy marks many of these
pages, but Smith does not forget his lifelong commitment to witty and
satiric verse. To introduce several hilarious pieces, he reprints the
celebrated poem "Dachshunds." Simplicity and musicality have given his
wedding songs a wide audience. Several of them are here, including an
extraordinary new one, "The Bouquet."
Variety has always characterized Smith's work. Words by the Water is
particularly varied and unusually youthful and fresh.
