In this Book
- The Road to the Spring: Collected Poems of Mary Austin
- Book
- 2014
- Published by: Syracuse University Press
The Road to the Spring is the first book publication of Mary Austin’s
(1868–1934) poems. Best known for her prose book The Land of Little
Rain (1903), Austin was in fact a poet from the beginning of her career to
the end, even though she never published a volume dedicated to her own
original poetry. Instead, Austin’s work came to light in collections of poetry
and in prestigious journals such as Poetry, the Nation, the Forum, Harper’s,
and Saturday Review of Literature, among many others.
The Road to the Spring contains more than 200 poems, most of which
can only be found in out-of-print books, magazines, and periodicals, and
her unpublished manuscripts archived at the Huntington Library. This singular
publication includes her original work, poems she claimed to have
written with her grammar school pupils at the end of the nineteenth century,
and her translations and "re-expressions" of Native American songs,
which often diverge greatly from any other known sources. Warren includes
an introduction, laying out Austin’s place in American literature and
situating her writings in feminist, environmentalist, regionalist, and Native
American contexts. He also includes notes for those new to Austin’s work,
glossing Native terms, geographical names, and the ethnological sources
of the Native songs she re-creates.
Table of Contents
- Title Page, Copyright Page
- pp. i-iv
- Acknowledments
- pp. vi-viii
- Abbreviations
- pp. ix-x
- A Note on the Texts
- pp. xi-xiv
- A Modern Chisera
- pp. 1-20
- Part 1: Book Publications
- The American Rhythm, 1923
- Songs in the American Manner
- pp. 72-108
- The American Rhythm, 1930
- pp. 109-112
- Magic Formulas from the Cherokee
- pp. 130-137
- Tribals Lays
- pp. 138-144
- The Children Sing in the Far West, 1928
- pp. 145-148
- Songs of the California Coast
- pp. 149-167
- Mountain Songs
- pp. 168-184
- Songs of the Southwest
- pp. 185-203
- All Outdoors
- pp. 204-215
- Tribal Wisdom
- pp. 216-231
- Songs for Occasions
- pp. 232-251
- Songs the Indians Sing
- pp. 252-266
- Little Light Moccasin
- pp. 271-272
- The Feet of the Young Men
- pp. 275-276
- Gods of the Saxon
- pp. 277-278
- A Twilight Hill
- pp. 279-280
- A Pipe of Oaten Straw
- pp. 283-284
- The Young Leader
- pp. 285-286
- The Song of the Bow
- pp. 287-288
- Night Wind, Wake
- p. 289
- The Covenant
- pp. 292-294
- The Song of the Hills
- pp. 295-296
- The Peace Prospect
- pp. 297-298
- San Jacinto
- pp. 299-300
- The Singing Dunes of Ensenada Todos Santos
- pp. 301-302
- San Juan Love Song
- p. 303
- Not to You Only, O Pythian
- pp. 310-311
- I Have Known Poets
- p. 317
- Resurrection
- p. 318
- Caller of Buffalo
- p. 321
- Caller of Buffalo
- p. 322
- Litany for New Mexico
- pp. 325-326
- Love Coming Late
- p. 327
- Three at Carmel
- pp. 328-331
- The Dark Hours
- pp. 333-336
- Cold Spell
- p. 337
- The Aged Poet Discourses
- pp. 338-341
- Mountain Parable
- pp. 343-344
- Unpublished Poems and Fragments
- pp. 345-348
- The Camp Fire
- p. 349
- Camp Santo at San Juan
- pp. 350-351
- Charm Strings
- pp. 352-353
- The Field of Glory
- p. 358
- Fossils of the Tertiary
- p. 359
- Good Medicine
- pp. 365-366
- The Heaven of Songs
- pp. 367-368
- How the Earth was Made at Pit River
- pp. 369-370
- In Hospital
- p. 371
- Invocation to Sleep
- pp. 372-373
- [Let Me Go Forth]
- p. 376
- Love in New England
- pp. 377-378
- Love in New Mexico
- pp. 379-380
- The Love of the World (1894)
- pp. 381-382
- The Naughty Jesus
- p. 386
- Providences
- p. 391
- Tears in the Night
- p. 393
- The Mill Wheel
- pp. 394-396
- Brother-the-Wolf
- pp. 397-398
- [Oh my America!]
- p. 400
- Orchard Blossoms
- p. 402
- The Passing of the Flocks
- pp. 403-404
- Penitente Ritual
- pp. 405-406
- The Procession of the Pines
- pp. 407-408
- Sea Gardens
- p. 409
- A Sea-Side Episode
- p. 410
- The Shameful Dream
- pp. 411-412
- [Small were they Twain]
- p. 413
- The Swallows
- p. 415
- To Mary Vallette
- p. 416
- The Unbeliever
- pp. 418-419
- Whose Children?
- p. 420
- [By the Deer's Cry]
- p. 422
- When I Am Dead
- pp. 423-426
- Selected Bibliography
- pp. 427-428
- Index of Titles
- pp. 429-432
- Index of First Lines
- pp. 433-437