]]> Edward Elstin Cummings was born in Cambridge (Massachusetts) in 1894.

His travels to France in the early XXth century nurrished his appetite for modernism. Taking a defenite step away from symbolism, he created an innovative, playfull and nontheless strictly formal poetry. ]]> Edward Elstin Cummings est né à Cambridge (Massachusetts) en 1894.

Ses voyages en Europe, au début du XXe siècle ont nourri sa soif de modernisme. Se démarquant définitivement du symbolisme, il a créé une poésie innovative, ludique et néanmoins strictement formelle. ]]> Edward Elstin Cummings es un poeta modernista. Despues de haber sido encarcerado en Francia en la primera guerra mudial, regreso a los Estados Unidos donde ha tenido une muy larga carrera de poeta. El formalismo de su poesia da miedo a muchos que no toman el tiempo de descubrir atras de su hermetismo un lirismo autentico. If Seventy were young lleva el numero 27 en el libro 73 poems. ]]> If Seventy Were Young if seventy were young
and death uncommon
(forgiving not divine,
to err inhuman)
or any thine a mine
- dingdong: dongding –
to say would be to sign

if broken hearts were whole
and cowards heroes
(the popular the wise,
a weed a tearose)
and every minus plus
- fare ill : fare well -
a frown would be a smile

if sorrowful were gay
(today tomorrow,
douting believing and
to lend to borrow)
or any foe a friend
- cry nay : cry yea -
november would be may

that you and i'd be quite
- come such perfection -
another i another you,
is a deduction
which (be it false or true)
disposes me to shoot
dogooding folk on sight

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