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
Although I admit to having a hard time following the message throughout the poem, i think it has something to do with people changing but the places and the memories remain. An image comes to my mind of generations of families living in a town and growing up and moving on, leaving behind that same old town filled with memories and even their childhood innocence.
anyone lived in a pretty how town is about nonconformity. anyone and noone both live their lives the way they want to live and follow their passions, the rest of the town (representing humanity in general) resents them for being different. The line “they sowed their isn’t they reaped their same” basically illustrates this point, everyone does the same boring thing except for anyone and noone and they don’t believe in themselves. It also says that the people “slept their dream” meaning that they didn’t follow through on their passions, they fell into an ordinary life without purpose. Children lose their understanding of the importance of certain aspects of life as they grow; life is no longer magical. – but it doesn’t have to be that way, anyone and noone are clear examples
This poem makes absolutely no sense. It’s a random jumble of words thrown together. I could write a similar poem in ten minutes, in fact, I think I will right now.
if by chance you may get how – alex pastel
if by chance you may get how
(and sleep by night if but you now)
one two three four
but down goes sand if by then
she kept his hand when he was shrill
(sing by plow and yes he will)
this but once she gave him pill
earth water wind fire
children pounced (sometimes now)
when moon doth change regular how
where by night she make things right
two three four one
where? and why? and how? and when?
and what? and who? and if? by then?
(give him this and face you must
for she I know) make wonders fuss
wind fire water earth
drink by day for might make girth
if by if and by if by
little by little and fly by night
(three’s a pair and so is you)
we bury our dead for reasons few
but try to bring when was behind
children forget where dreamers dine
time may pass when lift is when
with up comes down the bubbles ten
ten two one three
five nine twelve thirty-seven
chance by chance the walkers see
(why she once made spirits be)
april brings some glorious tree
wind water fire pee
and so ends the story of bird and she
think hard now for might makes me
rip the seam and plow the plow
if by chance you may get how
this poem is about how love fits into life. its that simple.
I believe that everyone is somewhat correct.
It’s poetry, poetry has many interpretations.
I have read many interpretations and I have come up with one that somewhat makes sense.
So they is a man named “anyone” and he is in love with a woman named “noone.” The rest of the town dislikes them both because of their individuality.
In the end “anyone” and “noone” both die and get buried next to each other. That was the only clear thing that I saw. For everyone that’s is saying that it is difficult to understand it’s e. e. cummings what did you expect.
This poem was hard to understand because he jumps from spot to spot randomly. I believe that he is talking about how every town is the same. Even though big cities and small towns look different they both have people that act in a similar way. It also says that people are all the same for the most part so we should all treat eachother the same.
I believe that this poem is talking about life in general. Also growing up in a small town is the same as living in the city. I think that what this poem is also trying to say is that everybody goes through the same things just at different times in there life.
this poem at firstwas hard to understand because or the fragmentation used in the poem. also the use of repitition and words in different tenses added to the confusion, such as “said their nevers they slept their dream”. this created a need to think deeply about the poem to fully comprehend what is being said. also the use of parenthisis give added detail to the writters point.
This poem is about lives of residents in a nameless town. In this poem,’anyone’ live in the town and ‘no-one’is the only person who cares about him. Eventually ‘anyone’ dies and ‘no-one’ is heart broken, which the society just keep going. This poem is refering that people still need to live their life no matter what. The style of cummings is well shown in this poem: lowercase letters, not standard English punctuation, and repeating of some phrase, in this case, he repeated ‘pretty how town’.
I believe this poem is about people growing up and doing all the good and bad, the pretty and the ugly. It’s interesting the way Cummings word usage displays the craziness of life. Everyone in life does basically the same thing, it’s like the growing process. We all mature in the same progressions, although each of our experiences are very different, like this poem.
i think the poem talks about a town and the love story of anyone and noone. maybe if we read closer, there are still more to be revealed.
In the poem “anyone lived in a pretty how town” by E.E. Cummings, I think that it is about how children grow up to do great things and how they see the world. The quote “A childs view is one of the most innocent things in the world” (google.com) is what explains this entire poem in one sentence. It tells the reader that children can be very innocent things but later in life they loose that innocence to the corrupt and adult world they are forced to grow up in. Lastly, this poem will never be forgotten and should be taught to children all around the world.
Megan, David was quoting someone else at the beginning of his comment. His second paragraph is his actual thoughts on the matter.
David: Excuse me, but it sounds as if you are the one who has not read his work, or you have not read carefully. You, yourself just mentioned that he HATED it when people did NOT capitalize his name, which I believe means he wanted his name spelled E.E. Cummings. Publishers had assumed that it would be alright to write his name in lower case, but he did not approve of it. You also mentioned that he thinks it is disrespectful for others not to capitalize his name, so why would you want to disrespect him? Do more research smartypants. I don’t think you had a good reason to put down all of the people that took the time to put their comments up just as you did. Think about that.
“what is with everyone capitalizing EE! Do you know nothing about the man?, he didn’t capitalize anything, so please make it e.e cummings! ”
I do know something about the man. Have you ever read his books? Based on your comment I assume you’ve just read some of his poems. He always said that he hates when people don’t capitalize his name. He doesn’t capitalize it because it’s HIS name. He thinks it’s disrespectful for others to not capitalize it.
I think this poem is talking to all people who are from the idyllic small town. Picture a Bedford Falls kind of place right out of “It’s a Wonderful Life”. I dont really get the reference to the bells, but as someone mentioned it signals the passing of time, and I suppose that makes sense.`I think the mentioning of seasons does match the passing of time.
Then the next line is “he sang his didn’t he danced his did”. It makes me think of the proverb about actions speak louder than words. And the person told all the things he wouldn’t do, but we can see what he actually did through his actions. (Like people may say when I grow up I am going to get out of this small town, but years later, they are still in the same place).
I read how somebody mentioned the little and small relates to the size of a person’s mind and I liked that explaination (otherwise I had no idea), but I feel this one reflects how people are becoming more distnat from eachother and more selfish. “They sowed their isn’t they reaped their same” to me means that they did not put all of their possible effort into the things they did, and the results they got back were also less than perfect. The last line in that stanza again marks the passing of time.
The “children guessed but only a few as down they forgot as up they grew)” to me relates to the innocent dreams of a child. I remember how when I was a child I wanted to be a rockstar and now my son is thinking of being a fighter pilot, astronaut, or garbage man… the thing is that all kids have plans and dreams when they are young, but as they grow older they forget.) So the idea is that children tend to have big dreams when they are young but they forget them as they grow older. (the last line is one I cannot make so much sense of… but maybe just again echoing the distance from others or isolation… but also maybe hinting that at this point that the unimportant person has not found his true love or soulmate)
So after some time passes, it is time to add another leaf to the so called family tree… a girl comes a long who shares in the job and grief of the man (which I think reflects the pre womans lib attitude of the rold of a woman towards a man.) I dont understand the bird by snow and stir by still part… but the part that anyones any was all to her… refers to the parents having a child who is important to the girl…
and eventually they get married…. someones married their everyones (so when you get married the person you care most about is your everyone) and as a married couple the experience both happiness and sadness. and they get through their difficult times and continue with their life. the “sleep wake hoe and then they said their nevers and they slept their dream) this refers to how you get settled in a pattern of life go to bed, wake up, work, and repeat…. there are things that you say you are never going to do (i.e. I am never going to be like my parents or I would never have any children) and then you end up never taking action to achieve the things in your mind.
This next one is one of my favorite stanzas. First it refers to the passing of time… then “and only the snow can begin to explain how children are apt to forget to remember with up so floating many bells down) I dont get the part about the bells… but I think the part about snow can be understood in this way…. Perhaps if you are from a northern area where you get a lot of snow you can remember as a child how magical and exciting the snow once was, you could spend a long time outside building snowmans, sledding, having snowball fights, building a snowfort, making snowangels…. but as time passes, snow just becomes a cold burden that you need to shovel it looses its magic…. and because the snow experiences this change in attitude from people in how something is a magical wonderland can turn to a freezing burden, the snow has felt this through the contact with people and it can begin to explain how children forgot the things that they guessed they would become when they are younger…
the part about one day anyone died I guess… I guess I think of this is a metaphorical death. There comes a point in your life when you lose your dreams… this is when you die. I have met many people who are living but their soul or spirit is dead. Consider how much life is in the people who are stuck in a cubical knowing they will never achieve the things that hoped to do. There also comes a point in the marriage when the couple grows distant and maybe people also stop caring about eachother so much… so it does not necessarily have to be a real death but more of a spiritual death. The busy folk just pass the who have lost their dreams and little by little was by was all by all and deep by deep (yeah, I dont get that part at all.) Maybe maybe slowly people let of of their dreams little by little and they become memories of the past and get buried deeper and deeper in the memory once they have been let go and as time passes they find instead of ambitious hopes and dreams they are let go and the only dreams people have are the ones when they are sleeping but they are no longer the goal oriented dreams. All people are experiencing this and (dont get the earth by april) and I dont understand the part wish by spirit and if by yes.
Women and men all live their time on the life and they get the things from the effort that they have provided, and their time here passes (this is the actual death—not the metaphorical one) and again the reference to nature.
Over all I sometimes feel the poem is incredibly depressing, but at others I can see something that is completly inspirational. I think it is sad in the sense that people grow up and forget their dreams, but I find it inspirational in the sense that I feel this poem tries to remind you that that is something that happens and by calling your attention to it, it encourages you not to forget your dreams but to accomplish something. I think it is important to remember we only have a short time to accomplish things.
I feel the overall tone as the poem is read is happy and uplifting, and I guess that is why I feel the poem is not intended to be depressing.
It is only confusing because he uses general pronouns that are none specific. If you substitute all the ‘anyone’s and ‘no one’s for a name the poem actually makes sense. It’ s a story of someone’s life.
The reason why it is no specific is so that everyone can better apply the poems to themselves and their own lives.
i found this poem accidentally when i was going through my english book. i had to pick three to analyze and i thought that this was a wonderful poem. I think that the mention of the seasons and the stars is to show the passage of time just as the tolling of the bells. Cummings describes growing up and the realization that our lives are not always what we wanr them to be. He describes how we repress our true dreams and feelings. I also think it describes how we are invisible to the world and the realization that we cannot depend on others because they are too wrapped up in their own lives. I have no clue if this is right but i truly enjoyed this poem
i’ve been looking at this poem for a while now trying to figure out what it means. I’ve been reading other people’s comments and something just clicked for me regarding the line ‘Women and men (both dong and ding)’. Both women and men (dong and ding) represent the bells chiming which in turn represent the passing of time much like the women and men getting older representing the passing of years. i have no idea if that helps anyone but hey, thanks for helping me to understand it more!
I hate e.e. cummings!!! jk but his poems are very hard to understand…especialy this one! I haven’t read that many but the ones I have read in my English III class are very hard. I would have to say this is a great poem because what I got out of it is that he is talking about how people go from being totaly hated and invisable to totaly likeable and very visable people. Good job e.e. cummings for making our English III class work hard to understand the poems of yours that we have and will read.
Shelly
in Oregon