Selected Poems

Selected Poems encompasses the major poetic works of Clark Ashton Smith, published by Arkham House in 1971. The collection spans multiple decades of Smith's career and includes his original compositions across various forms and styles, from epic poems to haiku. The volume contains several distinct sections, including The Star Treader, Ebony and Crystal, and The Jasmine Girdle, along with translations of French and Spanish works. Smith created fictional poet personas like Christophe des Laurieres and Clérigo Herrero, presenting their works as translations while they were actually his own compositions. The collection demonstrates Smith's range as a poet through its diverse forms: quintains, sestets, satires, incantations, and experimental pieces. The book opens with an essay by Benjamin DeCasseres titled "Clark Ashton Smith: Emperor of Shadows" and concludes with a bibliography of Smith's work. The poems explore themes of cosmic wonder, ancient mythology, and the supernatural, reflecting Smith's position as a key figure in weird fiction and speculative poetry. His work connects to both the Romantic tradition and the emerging weird fiction movement of the early 20th century.

Most readers of Clark Ashton Smith's Selected Poems note his dense, archaic vocabulary and cosmic horror themes carried over from his prose work. The collection has limited reviews online, with a 4.11/5 rating on Goodreads from 61 ratings. Readers appreciate: - Rich imagery and supernatural elements - Technical mastery of traditional poetic forms - Connection to his Weird Fiction prose universe - The inclusion of both early and later works Common critiques: - Language can be overly ornate and difficult - Some poems feel dated or melodramatic - Limited availability of print editions - Lack of scholarly notes or context From reviews: "His command of meter and rhyme pulls you through even the most baroque vocabulary" - Goodreads reviewer "Like Lovecraft's poems but with more skill in the actual craft" - Amazon review "Beautiful but sometimes impenetrable" - LibraryThing user The collection maintains a small but dedicated following among weird fiction and poetry enthusiasts.

The Shadow over Innsmouth by H. P. Lovecraft Contains cosmic horror poetry and prose that matches Smith's dark mythological themes and otherworldly imagery.

The Edge of Running Water by William Sloane Merges supernatural poetry with science fiction elements in the style of Smith's genre-blending verses.

The Graves of Light by Joseph S. Pulver Sr. Presents dreamlike poetry that explores cosmic terror and supernatural encounters through symbolic language.

Songs of a Dead Dreamer by Thomas Ligotti Combines poetry and prose pieces that delve into nihilistic cosmic horror themes similar to Smith's work.

The Yellow Sign and Other Stories by Robert W. Chambers Features poetic prose and verses about supernatural realms and cosmic entities that parallel Smith's mythological approach.

🌟 Clark Ashton Smith was part of the "Weird Tales" trio alongside H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard, contributing to the golden age of weird fiction in the 1920s and 1930s. 🖋️ Before gaining recognition as a prose writer, Smith was primarily known as a poet, publishing his first collection "The Star-Treader and Other Poems" at the young age of 19. 🎨 Besides being a poet, Smith was also a skilled sculptor and visual artist, creating hundreds of unusual sculptures inspired by the same cosmic and fantastic themes found in his poetry. 📚 Smith wrote many of his poems in French and Spanish, despite being largely self-taught in these languages through his extensive reading and study. 🌍 The poet lived most of his life in Auburn, California, where he dwelt in a small cabin and drew inspiration from the Sierra Nevada landscape for many of his nature-themed verses.