Walking Toward the Sun

Sep 29, 2026

A poetry collection by Edward Weismiller, introduced with a foreword by W. S. Merwin. The book revisits Weismiller’s voice in old age, shifting from youthful lyricism toward clearer, more spare speech while keeping strong prosody. These poems confront loss without turning grim, offering honesty, unflinching attention to disappointment, and an enduring openness to possibility. Beauty is shown as present even in the smallest, calm moments of ordinary life.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages86

Reading Time2 h 12 min

AccessFree to download

Foreword by W.S. Merwin

Acknowledgments

I - A Scene

Monster Poem

Sunken Forest

The Tree in Front of the Old People’s Home

Tales Out of School

The Boy

Quail

After the Rain

The Trees

Pacific Midnight

The Water Gardens

Bay Island

Carolina Beach

Roulette

2 - Short History

An Early Conversation

The Metamorphoses

A Beached Whale

Onegin

Dialogue of the Dead

A Field on Delos

A Girl

Sea Horse

Houses

Letter Found Blown Against a Fence

“—So Full of Sleep—”

Armida

Love That Twisted Vine

One-Sided Conversation with Henry

Private Services

A Fairly Common Story

Poem

3 - Moving

The Wrong Music

City Limits

How Should I Think Long

Thought; Song; Speech; Silence

Aubade

One-Sided Conversation # - Song Under My Breath

Realizations

The Soliloquies

Sitting Too High in the House

Like Animals, We Grow

The Flowers

This Spring: for Luverne

Because There Is Time

Walking Toward the Sun

# Walking Toward the'sun Edward Weismiller *P1-APW-972* foreword by W.S.Merwin Walking Toward the Sun Edward Weismiller Foreword by W.S.Merwin In 1936,twenty-year-old Edward Weismiller became the youngest poet towin the prestigious Yale Series ofYounger Poets prize.Today,more thansixty years later,he retains that distinc-tion.Yale University Press here reintro-duces Edward Weismiller—now the old-est living Younger Poet—with the publi-cation of his first book of poems in morethan twenty years.Weismiller's is “a tal-ent that has kept faith with itself and itssources,"says W.S.Merwin,currentjudge of the Younger Poets Series. In Walking Toward the Sun,youthfullyricism has given way to plainness ofspeech--even spareness.These poemsare honest and unflinching,always strik-ing in their prosody.They will remindsome readers of Yeats,for they conveynobility in the face of old age,infirmity,and disappointment.Weismiller singspowerfully about a world of loss,but heis never grim or despairing.The poet inold age remains hopeful,open to possi-bility,and always aware of beauty in thesmallest places. There,in the sun,spring's youngest flower;without memory and without dreams,smiles on the calm of unrelated stone. WALKING TOWARD THE SUN ALSO BY EDWARD WEISMILLER: poetry The Deer Come DownThe Faultless ShoreThe Branch of Fire novel The Serpent Sleeping translation The Young Concubine WalkingTowardthe Sun Edward Weismiller Foreword by W.S.Merwin Copyright ◎2002 by Yale University. All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced,in whole or in part,includingillustrations,in any form(beyond that copying permitted by Sections107 and 108 of the U.S.Copyright Law and except by reviewers forthe public press),without written permission from the publishers. Designed byJamesJ.Johnson and set in Fairfield Medium type byIntegrated Publishing Solutions,Grand Rapids,Michigan.Printed in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataWeismiller,Edward Ronald,1915- Walking toward the sun/Edward Weismiller ;foreword by W.S.Merwin.p.cm. ISBN O-300-09358-6(alk.paper)PS3545·E473 W352002 2002016707 A cataloguc record for this book is available from the British Library. The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durabilityof the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of theCouncil on Library Resources. 10987654321 for my children:MarianaGeorgiaPeterCharlesMerie Contents Foreword by W.S.MerwinixAcknowledgmentsxiii I A Scene 3Monster PoemSunken Forest 4 ≤ The Tree in Front of the Old People’s Home6Tales Out of School7The Boy8Quail9After the Rain10The Trees11Pacific Midnight13The Water Gardens14Bay Island15Carolina Beach16Roulette18 2 Short History An Early ConversationThe MetamorphosesA Beached WhaleOnegin Dialogue of the DeadA Field on DelosA GirlSea HorseHouses Letter Found Blown Against a Fence“—So Full of Sleep—”Armida Love That Twisted Vine One-Sided Conversation with HenryPrivate Services A Fairly Common StoryPoem 3 Moving The Wrong MusicCity Limits How Should I Think LongThought;Song;Speech;SilenceAubade One-Sided Conversation\#-Song Under My BreathRealizationsThe Soliloquies Sitting Too High in the HouseLike Animals,We GrowThe Flowers This Spring:for LuverneBecause There Is TimeWalking Toward the Sun 45 46 47 49 50 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 21 22 23 24 25 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 35 36 37 38 39 40

FAQs

Who wrote the poetry collection Walking Toward the Sun?

Edward Weismiller wrote the collection.

Who provides the foreword to the book?

W. S. Merwin provides the foreword.

What central outlook do the poems maintain in old age?

The poems address a world of loss while remaining hopeful, open to possibility, and attentive to beauty in small places.

Sep 29, 2026

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