anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn’t he danced his did

Women and men(both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn’t they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain

children guessed(but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that noone loved him more by more

when by now and tree by leaf
she laughed his joy she cried his grief
bird by snow and stir by still
anyone’s any was all to her

someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then)they
said their nevers they slept their dream

stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)

one day anyone died i guess
(and noone stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was

all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.

Women and men(both dong and ding)
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon stars rain

Analysis, meaning and summary of e.e. cummings's poem anyone lived in a pretty how town

165 Comments

  1. Robin says:

    I read this poem in my college lit class, when told we could write our paper on any poem we read, i chose this one. I fell in love with Cummings as soon as I read this poem.It brought tears to my eyes for several reasons. Not much literature can do that. Now I read as much of his work as I can find. I am glad I still have my book since they took it off tis site….

  2. tima says:

    i want to see this poem in the view of literary stylistic in other words i want to see questions like why did the poet used a WH question as an adjective and why did he use a meaningless words like ding and dong etc…

  3. Cris says:

    Remarkable, really amazing how Cummings play with words. At first sight i was like WTH, but then i started to realize what really the persona was trying to say. In the end i realize this poem expresses more sadness than happiness. First of all a pretty how town its a metaphor of a imaginary town, the town of every person imagination, because in real life there is no pretty town. Anyone represents any person on this imaginary town, you and me. And noone represents the loneliness of people, that in the end will be the one that has and will be there for you.

  4. @ says:

    I say, its not really what people think it is…at first sight it looks like a love story, Anyone is in love with Noone and there love was until the end. Really? are you sure about that? Read it slowly and carefully, what does the tittle says? Anyone lived in a pretty how town, Anyone represents any person,it could be you or me. Now the tricky part is the “pretty how town” what does the persona refers with this…look closely and think of this words like a question… pretty, how? how is this town pretty, where people just don’t care for others, when even in a funeral they buried you doing other stuff not showing respect, they don’t respect even death. So in other words this town is not pretty at all, is a fake. Now the “love story”. anyone is in love with noone, come on that does not have a real meaning, anyone could be any person on this horrible town. Now noone, is not a person, come on!!! its obvious, it represents nothing, that its all. They were buried together, obviously we are in an era which people are not buried together anymore. So in other words if they were buried together it means any person was buried with no one, in other words, alone. So does that sound like a happy ending…i don’t think so

  5. samji says:

    simple 2 understand. anyone is a character that is very happy and lives in a town where people h8 him b/c they are so happy and noone is a character tht is also happy and falls in love with him. the seasons represent a year and the moon and sun part represents a day

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