Hilda Doolittle was one of the leading members of the Imagist movement. Her work is packed full of beautiful, memorable images that convey her meaning clearly and movingly. Although the movement was short-lived, her work certainly is not.
“Venice — Venus?” by Hilda Doolittle is an insightful poem about Doolittle’s reasons for writing despite critiques. Doolittle reveals that her ultimate source of inspiration is divine.
Venice — Venus?
this must be my stance,
my station: though you brushed aside
In “Take me anywhere, anywhere;” by Hilda Doolittle, the poet-speaker addresses a lover, expressing the way in which she takes refuge in their affection.
Take me anywhere, anywhere;
I walk into you,
Doge—Venice—
In H.D.’s ‘Fragment Sixty-Eight,’ intense longing weaves through verses, depicting unrequited love’s ache, unveiling the heart’s raw vulnerability and desperate yearning.
I envy you your chance of death, how I envy you this.
I am more covetous of him
even than of your glance,
I wish more from his presence
‘Why did you come’ by Hilda Doolittle is about love, self-criticism, aging, and the human inability to control judgments and desires.
Why did you come
to trouble my decline?
I am old (I was old till you came);
the reddest rose unfolds,
‘Circe’ by Hilda Doolittle is a poem that gives voice to Circe, a goddess and master of magical enchantments. Despite her power, she laments that she cannot control love.
It was easy enough
to bend them to my wish,
it was easy enough
to alter them with a touch,
In ‘Heat,’ H.D. articulates a fervent desire to combat sweltering heat, using evocative language to echo a plea for relief.
O wind, rend open the heat,
cut apart the heat,
rend it to tatters.
‘Helen’ by H.D. tells of the complete and total hatred that the Greek people feel for Helen of Troy after she causes the Trojan war.
All Greece hates
the still eyes in the white face,
the lustre as of olives
where she stands,
‘Oread’ by Doolittle exemplifies Imagist poetry with a wood nymph commanding the sea, emphasizing precise language and clear imagery.
Whirl up, sea—
whirl your pointed pines,
splash your great pines
‘Sea Rose’ by Doolittle contrasts a rugged sea rose with traditional roses, celebrating resilience and unconventional beauty over perfection.
Rose, harsh rose,
marred and with stint of petals,
meagre flower, thin,
sparse of leaf,
‘Sheltered Garden’ by H.D. describes the sheltered life led by the speaker and how she is looking for a world which is more “wind-tortured” and real.
I have had enough.
I gasp for breath.
‘The Garden’ by H.D. is a thoughtful poem about oppression. The speaker uses natural imagery in order to depict oppression during her lifetime.
You are clear
O rose, cut in rock,
hard as the descent of hail.
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