Under All Silences by Various authors
"Under All Silences: Shades of Love" is an anthology curated by Ruth I. Gordon, featuring sixty-six poems and songs that delve into the multifaceted experience of love. The collection draws from a rich tapestry of cultural heritage, including ancient Egyptian, Chinese, Persian, and medieval Japanese poets, showcasing a global and historical perspective on love's complexities. Each poem is presented on its own page, allowing readers to engage with them at their own pace, fostering a personal exploration of themes ranging from initial infatuation to deep emotional connection and longing.
The anthology emphasizes the silent, often unspoken nuances of love, capturing a wide spectrum of emotions including passion, unrequited love, and the maturity of lasting relationships. Gordon's meticulous curation is not only reflected in the poems selected but also in the extensive acknowledgment section and indices provided, which serve as valuable resources for further exploration. This anthology is particularly aimed at younger audiences, encouraging them to appreciate the depth of true love poetry as opposed to more superficial expressions. With its accessible format and rich content, "Under All Silences" serves as both an introduction to and a celebration of the timeless nature of love across cultures and eras.
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Subject Terms
Under All Silences by Various authors
Edited by Ruth I. Gordon
First published: 1987
Subjects: Coming-of-age, emotions, friendship, and love and romance
Type of work: Poetry
Recommended Ages: 15-18
Form and Content
In the anthology Under All Silences: Shades of Love, Ruth I. Gordon compiles sixty-six poems and songs about love in which the emotional strength of each poem is linked to the sum of the whole. The collection explores diverse cultures and insights as the author draws on the works of ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Persian poets and medieval Japanese poets to create a geographical and historical representation of deep thought and warm feelings. The structure of the anthology links these carefully selected poems to themes that may be carried from poem to poem or merely connect two of them in an understated union. The silences of all times and cultures speak in this collection, the kind of silence that only poets can allow the reader to experience. Love, as defined among these verses, travels from its inception at first meetings, through discovery, passion, and knowledge, and then beyond.
The format of the book allows easy reading. Each poem is isolated, having its own page, its own space. The reader can dwell or move on at leisure. When possible, the name of the poet and other pertinent data such as translation information and country of origin are provided. An extensive acknowledgment section cites sources and serves as an excellent reference tool for readers who want to research further works by a particular poet. For quick reference, Gordon provides both an index of authors and an index of titles. For those with a penchant for memorization, the first line of all poems are indexed at the end of the book.
The titles of the poems often express the content, and readers can make the transition from the song “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” to the poem “As We Are So Wonderfully Done with Each Other.” Some poems speak of love from a distance—sometimes of the love of youths who are too timid to allow their paramours secret winks or soft words. Suddenly, but not too suddenly, the focus of the poems becomes more sensual. Physical togetherness and celebration of the human body sing from the pages. Occasionally, one reads of love unrequited, of a lover leaving. The full circle of emotions is reached with the maturity of relationships that have borne out time and trials; the poets speak of a union that not all know. Gordon ends with E. E. Cummings asking whether “lovers love.”
Critical Context
Ruth Gordon is a highly respected librarian who received her Ph.D. at the University of California at Berkeley. She spent her early years as a professional librarian in the eastern United States and eight years as a teacher for the Department of Defense in Aviano, Italy, and she eventually settled in California. She actively writes critiques in professional journals, but, most important to her, she anthologizes poetry for younger readers. She compiled the poems for Time Is the Long Distance (1991), in which she strives to link mortality and time; she expresses the human need for that connection. Some of these poems revolve around unimaginable circumstances in which people find themselves, such as a definite state of doom. Gordon’s Pierced by a Ray of Sun (1995) takes another step, another route to reflect the concern of time and timelessness. Again, she crosses cultural and time barriers and examines the spectrum of emotions—hope and despair, gain and loss.
Gordon merited mention as one of the Best of the 80’s by Booklist for both Time Is the Long Distance and Under All Silences. Under All Silences was chosen as a Best Book of 1987 by two prestigious organizations, School Library Journal and the American Library Association. Reviewers expressed an open-arms acceptance of her anthology, noting that the greeting card approach to love has little comparison to the genuineness expressed by true love poetry. Gordon is adamant that young people be able to read and learn of love through the beauty of poetry.
Gordon collected other poems in Peeling the Onion: An Anthology of Poems (1993). Although she also writes critiques, reviews, and professional papers, creating anthologies seems to be her forte. Gordon is a member of several children’s literature associations and has a strong commitment to the earth, as expressed in her association with Friends of the Earth and the Sierra Club. Both of these positions, as well as her attraction to poetry focusing on love and youth, guide Gordon in her selection process.