Praise

Robert Hass's 1979 poetry collection Praise presents a series of lyric meditations on nature, relationships, and sensory experience. The book was Hass's second published collection and helped establish his reputation as a significant American poet. The poems move between California landscapes and intimate domestic scenes, often focusing on precise observations of the natural world. Many pieces explore connections between physical sensation and memory, between the act of perception and the struggle to capture it in language. A thread of Buddhist thought and practice runs through the collection, particularly in how the poems approach questions of desire and impermanence. This philosophical foundation combines with Hass's interest in both Western poetic traditions and Japanese haiku to create work that examines fundamental aspects of human experience. The collection suggests that the act of praising - of paying deep attention to the world and attempting to honor it through language - may be both a spiritual practice and a way to navigate loss and change. While grounded in specific details and moments, these poems reach toward universal questions about consciousness and meaning.

Readers appreciate Hass's accessible writing style and intimate observations of nature and relationships. Multiple reviews note his ability to connect everyday moments to deeper truths. The poems "Meditation at Lagunitas" and "Sunrise" receive frequent mentions as standout pieces. Positive reviews highlight: - Clear, conversational language - Balance of emotion and intellect - Vivid natural imagery Common criticisms include: - Some poems feel too academic or detached - Occasional obscure references - Uneven quality across the collection Ratings: Goodreads: 4.2/5 (1,200+ ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (32 ratings) One reader on Goodreads notes: "His way of describing nature makes you see familiar things in new ways." An Amazon reviewer writes: "The intellectual complexity sometimes overshadows the emotional impact." The book won the Yale Series of Younger Poets prize in 1973 and remains in print after multiple editions.

The Wild Iris by Louise Glück Poems merge nature and human consciousness through garden imagery while exploring themes of mortality and renewal.

Sun Under Wood by Robert Hass This collection continues Hass's meditative explorations of memory, desire, and the natural world through California landscapes.

What Work Is by Philip Levine Working-class experiences and memories interweave with observations of the physical world in precise, narrative poems.

Given Sugar, Given Salt by Jane Hirshfield Buddhist-influenced poems examine daily moments and objects with philosophical depth and attention to natural detail.

Time and Materials by Robert Hass These poems combine political awareness with personal history while maintaining focus on environmental concerns and sensory experience.

🌿 Robert Hass wrote much of "Praise" while living in an isolated cabin in the Sierra Nevada mountains, seeking solitude and connection with nature. 📝 The collection won the William Carlos Williams Award in 1979, launching Hass's career as one of America's most celebrated contemporary poets. 🎭 Many poems in "Praise" explore the tension between physical pleasure and spiritual transcendence, influenced by Hass's Catholic upbringing and his later Buddhist studies. 🌊 The book's signature poem "Meditation at Lagunitas" has become one of the most frequently anthologized American poems of the late 20th century. 🎨 Hass deliberately structured "Praise" to mirror the Japanese poetic form called "jo-ha-kyū," which moves from introduction to intensification to rapid closure.