In this new masterwork from one of America's foremost poets, W.S. Merwin guides his readers to universal themes through worldly specifics. Akin to Neruda's Elemental Odes, every poem in Present Company directly addresses the people and things of daily life, as in "To the Thief at the Airport" or "To Lingering Regrets."

To This May

They know so much more now about
the heart we are told but the world
still seems to come one at a time
one day one year one season and here
it is spring once more with its birds
nesting in the holes in the walls
its morning finding the first time
its light pretending not to move
always beginning as it goes

These poems to the world are playful, deadly serious, and full of wonder. Whether writing of an unused vehicle in "To Zbigniew Herbert's Bicycle" or watching fireworks from a distance in "To the Coming Winter," Merwin's poems create a rare and compelling intimacy. There is no one writing today like W.S. Merwin.

"Merwin's 24th volume of poems is his first since last year's massive new-and-collected Migration: it may be the much-lauded poet's clearest and most unified in many years, and it is almost certainly his most moving. Following Kenneth Koch's New Addresses, its 101 poems address a person, place, object or abstraction ('To the Shadow,' 'To the Stone Paddock by the Far Barn'). Almost all seek, and many achieve, a deliberate pathos over the passage of time: 'I will wait and you can follow alone,' concludes Merwin (who won the 1970 Pulitzer Prize) in 'To Lili's Walk,' 'and between us the night has come and gone.' Often stark, at times nearly imageless, the poems recall particular moments in Merwin's own life, comment on the act of writing or introduce gentle humor. ('To the Consolations of Philosophy' begins 'Thank you but/ not just at the moment.') Some of the best, such as 'To My Grandfathers,' remember dead family members and friends. Short-lined free verse pieces 'To the Soul' and 'To Forgetting' may become new anthology signatures or provoke new attention to this elder statesman of American verse. The book's greatest weakness may be its length; so many lyric poems with similar structures and near-identical tones make it harder for the best few to stand out. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"The intentions of Merwin's poetry are as broad as the biosphere yet as intimate as a whisper. He conveys in the sweet simplicity of grounded language a sense of the self where it belongs, floating between heaven, earth, and underground." The Atlantic Monthly

"W.S. Merwin is our strongest poet." The New York Times Review of Books

"The emotional timber rarely rises above muted melancholy, and Merwin's thoughtful, measured pace never quickens, but the poems are suffused with a warmth and clarity achieved over six decades of disciplined dedication to his art." Library Journal

"As Merwin moves from contemplating his reflection in the mirror to musing over memory, grief, duty, absence, purity, and the splendor of the earth, the subtle, wavelike motion generated by each poem infuses the collection with buoyancy and light." Booklist

"The intentions of Merwin's poetry are as broad as the biosphere yet as intimate as a whisper. He conveys in the sweet simplicity of grounded language a sense of the self where it belongs, floating between heaven, earth, and underground."-The Atlantic Monthly

"W.S. Merwin is our strongest poet."-The New York Times Review of Books

In this new masterwork from one of America's foremost poets, W.S. Merwin guides his readers to universal themes through worldly specifics. Akin to Neruda's Elemental Odes, every poem in Present Companydirectly addresses the people and things of daily life, as in "To the Thief at the Airport"or "To Lingering Regrets."

To This May

They know so much more now about

the heart we are told but the world

still seems to come one at a time

one day one year one season and here

it is spring once more with its birds

nesting in the holes in the walls

its morning finding the first time

its light pretending not to move

always beginning as it goes

These poems to the world are playful, deadly serious, and full of wonder. Whether writing of an unused vehicle in "To Zbigniew Herbert's Bicycle"or watching fireworks from a distance in "To the Coming Winter,"Merwin's poems create a rare and compelling intimacy. There is no one writing today like W.S. Merwin.

Poet and translator W.S. Merwinhas long been committed to artistic, political, and environmental causes in both word and deed. He has received nearly every major literary accolade, including the Pulitzer, Tanning, Lannan, and Bollingen prizes. His most recent award is the International Golden Wreath from the Struga Foundation, a longstanding literary honor that, in its 70-year history, has been offered to only three English-speaking poets. W.S. Merwin lives in Hawaii, where he cultivates endangered palms.

W.S. Merwin is one of America's leading poets. His prizes include the 2005 National Book Award for his collected poems, Migration, the Pulitzer Prize, the Stevens Award, and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and Lannan Foundation. He is the author of dozens of books of poetry and translations. He lives in Hawaii, where he cultivates endangered palm trees.