Fruits of the Earth

A unique anthology of poems from around the world and through the ages that celebrate fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and spices, and their meaning in our lives

Ever since Eve plucked a tempting apple in the Garden of Eden, the fruits of the earth have been essential to human culture and the stories we tell about our world. Poets from ancient times to the present have celebrated the harvest of our gardens, fields, and orchards.

The delectable cornucopia of poems harvested in this volume includes many beloved old chestnuts, such as Robert Frost’s “After Apple-Picking,” Emily Dickinson’s “Forbidden fruit a flavor has,” Gwendolyn Brooks’s “The Bean Eaters,” and the famous chilled plums in William Carlos Williams’s “This Is Just to Say.” But there are many other delights to discover as well: Pablo Neruda’s “Ode to the Artichoke,” Seamus Heaney’s “Blackberry Picking,” Jane Hirshfield’s “Green-Striped Melons,” Eugenio Montale’s “The Lemons,” Charles Simic’s “Watermelons,” Paul Valéry’s “Pomegranates,” Nâzim Hikmet’s “The Cucumber,” Rita Dove’s “Parsley,” Sylvia Plath’s “Mushrooms,” and Michael Ondaatje’s “The Cinnamon Peeler.” Peaches, figs, asparagus, olives, onions, peppers, nuts, coffee, chocolate, saffron, and nutmeg—the range of subjects is sure to whet the appetites of poetry lovers everywhere.

Everyman's Library's Pocket Poets are pocket-sized hardcovers that feature acid-free cream-colored paper bound in a full-cloth case with two-color foil stamping, decorative endpapers, a silk ribbon marker, a European-style half-round spine, and a full-color illustrated jacket.