Selected Poems of Herman Melville

“First published in 1970, Warren’s edition remains the most comprehensive selection of Melville’s poetry ever presented. It brings together the best of the Civil War poems from Battle-Pieces (1866), the portraits of sailors from John Marr (1888), and the autumnal lyrics from Timoleon (1891), as well as poems uncollected during Melville’s lifetime. Central to the selection are several self-contained passages from Clarel: A Poem and Pilgrimage to the Holy Land (1876), a book-length work that Warren calls “an important document of our modernity … in fact, a precursor to The Waste Land, with the same central image, the same flickering contrasts of the past and the present, the same charade of belief and unbelief.”” Warren introduces his selection with a valuable interpretive essay, and also provides copious textual and critical notes.

From battle-pieces and aspects of the war —
The portent —
Misgivings —
The conflict of convictions —
The march into Virginia —
Ball’s bluff —
Dupont’s round fight —
The stone fleet —
Donelson —
The Temeraire —
A utilitarian view of the monitor’s fight —
Shiloh —
Malvern Hill —
Battle of Stone River, Tennessee —
The house-top —
The armies of the wilderness —
On the photograph of a corps commander —
The swamp angel —
The college colonel —
“The coming storm” —
“Formerly a slave” —
On the slain collegians —
America —
The fortitude of the north —
Inscription —
An uninscribed monument —
A requiem —
On a natural monument —
Commemorative of a naval victory —
The scout toward Aldie —
Lee in the capitol —
A meditation —
Supplement —
From Clarel —
I: Jerusalem —
I: The hostel —
II: Of the crusaders —
XVII: Nathan —
II: The wilderness —
IV: Of Mortmain —
XXII: Concerning Hebrews —
XXVII: Vine and Clarel —
XXII: The inscription —
XXXIV: Mortmain reappears —
XXXVI: Sodom —
XXXIX: Obsequies —
III: Mar saba —
V: The high desert —
IV: Bethlehem —
XX: Derwent and Ungar —
XXX: The valley of decision —
XXXI: Dirge —
XXXII: Passion week —
XXXIII: Easter —
XXXIV: Via crucis —
XXV: Epilogue —
From John Marr and other stories with some sea-pieces —
John Marr —
Bridegroom Dick —
Tom Deadlight —
Jack Roy —
The Haglets —
The man-of-war hawk —
Old counsel —
The tuft of Kelp —
The maldive shark —
To Ned —
Crossing the tropics —
The berg —
From pebbles —
From Timoleon, etc. —
After the pleasure party —
The ravaged villa —
Monody —
Art —
Venice —
In a bye-canal —
In a church of Padua —
From the Parthenon —
From uncollected poems —
Immolated —
Pontoosuce —
Jonah’s song (from Moby Dick) —
Billy in the Darbies (from Billy Budd).