Cain, and other poems

by Walter Kaufmann

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394716833
• ISBN13: 9780394716831
• Release Date: January 1971
• Publisher: Vintage Books
• Length: 228 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.

Customer Reviews

masterwork of philosophical poetry

Walter Kaufmann was a highly accomplished professor of philosophy at Princeton, who translated Nietzsche, wrote a lot of philosophy books, and also wrote this great book of poems.There are some sheer gems in it, such as:What is hardto followoften hides lardor is hollow.Or this one:Cowardice tries to repeatThrows that succeed,seeks what is obsolete,snug as a creed,lacking the courage to meetunheard-of need.Simply by being the first,undefiled flings,those that are unrehearsedare granted wings.What is repeated is cursed:rote never sings.It's a modern rarity, rhymed poetry that really grapples with man's role in the universe in a brilliant way. Also worth having is his book of translations of German poetry, originally called 20 German poets, but the title changed when he added a few more poets.English was not his first language, so his accomplishment is all the more remarkable. It's notable enough to become an accomplished prose writer in a second language, like Joseph Conrad or Ayn Rand. Becoming a poet in an alien tongue is really rate.I see the book has gotten expensive on the used market. I hope someone has the sense to reissue it soon.