Riprap (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Gary Snyder
- First Published: 1959
- Type of Work: Poem
- Genres: Poetry
- Subjects: Poetry or poets, Mountains, Trails, Rocks
“Riprap,” the title poem in Snyder's first collection of verse, is an accomplished example of the craftsmanlike yet transcendent nature of his early poetry. He begins with short, percussive words, mostly monosyllabic, which follow the rhythm of the trail work that he had done in the Sierra Nevada:
Lay down these words
Before your mind like rocks.
placed solid, by hands
In choice of place, set
Before the body of the mind
in space and time:
Solidity of bark, leaf, or wall
riprap of things....
[The entire page is 526 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
See Also
