The Desiderata of Happiness: A Collection of Philosophical Poems
by Max Ehrmann
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Book Summary Information
Author: Max EhrmannIllustrator: Sally Sturman
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1995-09-05
ISBN: 0517701847
Number of pages: 64
Publisher: Crown
Book Reviews of The Desiderata of Happiness: A Collection of Philosophical Poems
Book Review: Things to be desired.
Summary: 5 Stars
"Desiderata" (Latin for 'things to be desired') achieved its greatest fame as the anthem of Sixties' hippie-dom - becoming the subject of many millions of posters. It was written in 1927 by Max Ehrmann (1872-1945). In 1956, the rector of St Paul's Church in Baltimore, Maryland, used the poem in a collection of mimeographed inspirational material for his congregation. Someone who subsequently printed it asserted that it was found in Old St. Paul's Church, dated 1692. The year 1692 was the founding date of the church and has nothing to do with the poem.
This book, "Desiderata of Happiness", begins with this poem, which is part of two poetic "chapter" themes that make up this 65-page book. The first theme is titled "Go placidly amid the noise and haste", and the other is titled "For power and wealth men stretch the day".
Besides "Desiderata", the following two poems are some of my favourites in the book and give example of the book's contents:
Title: "You with the Still Soul"
"Maybe you have a still soul that
goes murmurless like water in the deep
of rivers;
And perchance you wander
silent amid the din of the world's
grinding barter like one
journeying in strange lands.
You, too, with the still soul,
have your mission, for beneath the
dashing, noisy waves must ever
run the silent waters that give the tide
its course."
The second poem is -
Title: "I Journeyed from University to University"
"I journeyed from university to
university, and I saw everywhere the
past rebuilt before the eyes of
young men and young women -
Egypt, Greece, Rome; language,
architecture, laws - saw the earth and
sky explained, and the habits
of body -
Everywhere chairs of this and that,
largely endowed.
But nowhere saw I a chair of the
human heart."
One can see from his writings that Max Ehrmann was a sensitive and intelligent man yearning for the true goodness in life that is fast fading with modern mankind's uncivilised behaviour.
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Summary of The Desiderata of Happiness: A Collection of Philosophical Poems
In a uniform format with Desiderata and The Desiderata of Love (with all-new illustrations and a fresh new jacket), this is a collection of life-affirming poems by a writer who has inspired and comforted countless readers. Line drawings.Poetry Books
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