Poet shares works, anecdotes in visit to U.

In the relaxed atmosphere of the Penniman Library, renowned poet William Merwin gave a reading of his and other poetry to an audience of 90 University students and faculty members Tuesday. After a brief introduction, Merwin read his poetry, pausing after each piece to tell anecdotes about his own experiences. For nearly half an hour, Merwin read translations of vignettes from other authors and discussed the value of translation. He named one of the audience members, Sharon Yeager, as having "an outstanding translation from a German work." Merwin added that translations can never capture the true meaning of the original work. "It's not possible. They can never be the original," he said, but added that they are still necessary. Many of Merwin's poems dealt with nature. He read one poem in which a son recalls the how little he has valued his parents. English Professor Gregory Djanikian expressed his appreciation of Merwin, saying that the "poems catch some mythic chord to which I am attracted. He writes about universal subjects." Merwin said his poetry reflects his love for the rural world that society "must honor because we cannot live without it." He has been active in environmental issues, and has made an effort to save Hawaiin rainforests. Merwin said Ezra Pound, Borges, Surrealism, and Dadaism were his influences, but added that "we're influenced by everything, so we don't know exactly what we're influenced by." Books by Erwin include Travels, The Lost Upland and a book of selected poems.