Left on Guernica site - ref. interview of poet WS Merwin

When I started writing poetry through a great sense of loss about 1994, one of the first poetry readings I went to was W. S. Merwin's on Penn campus.

I was so impressed by the skyscraper of poetry books that he had written that was as high as the podium.

I bought The Moving Target and The Lice. He selected my colleague Dr Dr Sharon Ann Jeager (2 Ph.D.s) for her translations of Riilke and Dannie Abse gave me a prize from the Academy of American Poets for my first 5 poems.

Since then reading poetry has taken me to many places, cities and countries, but I can't go back to Burma.

I remember talking to him about his translations from Eskimo.

I want to thank W. S. Merwin for his example. Neruda is another of my favorite poets. I did not know till now that he was influenced by Neruda so much. It all makes sense now.

Sad to learn of Robert Graves losing his mind, as I thought "I Claudius" was just brilliant.


We must write while we are still able.

Kyi May Kaung.