RIP John Hollander

Poet John Hollander left us with many poems.

Herewith my favorite:

Adam’s Task
BY JOHN HOLLANDER

And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field ... GEN. 2:20

Thou, paw-paw-paw; thou, glurd; thou, spotted
Glurd; thou, whitestap, lurching through
The high-grown brush; thou, pliant-footed,
Implex; thou, awagabu.

Every burrower, each flier
Came for the name he had to give:
Gay, first work, ever to be prior,
Not yet sunk to primitive.

Thou, verdle; thou, McFleery’s pomma;
Thou; thou; thou—three types of grawl;
Thou, flisket; thou, kabasch; thou, comma-
Eared mashawk; thou, all; thou, all.

Were, in a fire of becoming,
Laboring to be burned away,
Then work, half-measuring, half-humming,
Would be as serious as play.

Thou, pambler; thou, rivarn; thou, greater
Wherret, and thou, lesser one;
Thou, sproal; thou, zant; thou, lily-eater.
Naming’s over. Day is done.

We met him in the seventies when he visited Oklahoma State University, and were delighted when our paths crossed in London. His escorts were a bit disconcerted when we hailed him, but he was cordial.

Add your favorite. (And/or read mine to someone as a remembrance!)

"Grey domestic shorthair and black beetle" -- from Types of Shape

Many years ago we had the chance to interact with Hollander at Oklahoma State University. To our surprise we encountered him a week later in London. He was gracious and utterly charming.