Picasso
you give us Things
which
bulge:grunting lungs pumped full of sharp thick mind

you make us shrill
presents always
shut in the sumptuous screech of
simplicity

(out of the
black unbunged
Something gushes vaguely a squeak of planes
or

between squeals of
Nothing grabbed with circular shrieking tightness
solid screams whisper.)
Lumberman of The Distinct

your brain’s
axe only chops hugest inherent
Trees of Ego,from
whose living and biggest

bodies lopped
of every
prettiness

you hew form truly

Analysis, meaning and summary of e.e. cummings's poem Picasso… (XXIII)

6 Comments

  1. Ujjwal Sen says:

    He is appreciative of Picasso from the very beginning. In the very first stanza, he says”things which bulge: grunting lungs pumped full of sharp thick mind, and his last stanza proves how much he revered the artist.

  2. Elias says:

    at first….i thought he disliked picasso…but…the J.T. Parreira got it right…..his writing..and picassos painting is the same…everything is like…out of place……and u can also note in the end…when he says…”bodies lopped of every prettiness” you might think its bad….but then..he ends saying…”you hew form truly”…so..he…admires Picasso…for..remaining “true” to things

  3. janelle says:

    no, ee cummings was an ardent picasso fan; he was a mostly cubist artist and poet, so there’s no reason to think that he didn’t admire the father of cubism (with respect to braque.) he was also heavily influenced by gertrude stein, who compiled a veritable cubist gallery complete with picasso originals. the “ego” is likely a freud reference.

  4. Doug says:

    Wait a minute, i don’t think ee cummings is lauding Picasso, look at the 5th stanza, he speaks of Picasso’s large ego, read the poem again, i don’t think he likes Picasso

  5. J.T.Parreira says:

    Este poema é Picasso ele-mesmo. Palavras fora do lugar,na sintaxe, como os olhos, os narizes, os seios, das figuras de Picasso. O poeta e.e.cummings, escreveu Picasso.

  6. annie says:

    a tribute to his fellow surrealist picasso. so many adjectives run together to create a very real idea of what picasso has created. and picasso was not an amiable man, o no. i think cummings realized this. but picasso certainly was a brilliant artist just as cummings

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