Who is Theodore Roethke

Theodore Huebner Roethke ( RET-kee; May 25, 1908 – August 1, 1963) was an American poet. He is regarded as one of the most accomplished and influential poets of his generation, having won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1954 for his book The Waking, and the annual National Book Award for Poetry on two occasions: in 1959 for Words for the Wind, and posthumously in 1965 for The Far Field. His work was characterized by its introspection, rhythm and natural imagery.

Roethke was praised by former U.S. Poet Laureate and author James Dickey as "in my opinion the greatest poet this country has yet produced." He was also a respected poetry teacher, and taught at the University of Washington for fifteen years. His students from that period won two Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry and two other...
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Theodore Roethke Poems

  • I Knew A Woman
    I knew a woman, lovely in her bones,
    When small birds sighed, she would sigh back at them;
    Ah, when she moved, she moved more ways than one:
    The shapes a bright container can contain! ...
  • The Minimal
    I study the lives on a leaf: the little
    Sleepers, numb nudgers in cold dimensions,
    Beetles in caves, newts, stone-deaf fishes,
    Lice tethered to long limp subterranean weeds, ...
  • Open House
    My secrets cry aloud.
    I have no need for tongue.
    My heart keeps open house,
    My doors are widely swung. ...
  • The Voice
    One feather is a bird,
    I claim; one tree, a wood;
    In her low voice I heard
    More than a mortal should; ...
  • The Reckoning
    All profits disappear: the gain
    Of ease, the hoarded, secret sum;
    And now grim digits of old pain
    Return to litter up our home. ...
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Top 10 most used topics by Theodore Roethke

Long 12 Wind 11 Time 11 Small 11 Light 11 Slow 11 Tree 10 Water 9 Night 8 Love 8


Theodore Roethke Quotes

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Comments about Theodore Roethke

Dwanson18: “over every mountain, there is a path, although it may not be seen from the valley.” –theodore roethke
Ariisooh: [명언]a mind too active is no mind at all. (theodore roethke)
Nekomimiword: "love is not love until love’s vulnerable." – theodore roethke
Chuckcanady: what we need is more people who specialize in the impossible. - theodore roethke
Beratyuksel428: "love is not love until love’s vulnerable." – theodore roethke
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Poem of the day

Isaac Watts Poem
Psalm 119 Part 10
 by Isaac Watts

Pleading the promises.

ver. 38,49

Behold thy waiting servant, Lord,
Devoted to thy fear;
Remember and confirm thy word,
For all my hopes are there.
...

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