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You are here: Home / Conservancy News / Remembering William Stanley Merwin, 1927 – 2019

Remembering William Stanley Merwin, 1927 – 2019

March 15, 2019 By Sara Tekula

Photo by Tom Sewell

It is with great sadness and an abiding reverence that we say goodbye to W.S. Merwin, a true master in the art of poetry and a profound ecologist. Beyond the extraordinary legacies of his poetic and botanical achievements, William has left us all deeply inspired to make the world around us a better place through word and deed, and to see and preserve the natural world as the exquisite poem it is.

The tributes and outpouring of love we are witnessing as the news of W.S. Merwin’s death spreads around the world are both inspiring and comforting. While we mourn the loss of our dear friend William, we come together to nurture the organization that he founded with his wife Paula. It brings us joy to read your tributes, reflect on their meanings, and – as we collect many of these responses in one place to share with you all – we hope you feel it, too.

Please add your own remembrances in the comments at the bottom of this page.


President Barack Obama

“I’ve drawn inspiration from Merwin’s writing because it teaches us about ourselves, our world, and how we as humans connect to nature. Most of us don’t spend a lot of time on poetry but Merwin’s death reminded me of how a good poem can inspire and instruct.”

Edward Hirsch

Edward Hirsch remembers his long friendship with the late W. S. Merwin. https://t.co/QIATT0df66

— The Paris Review (@parisreview) March 15, 2019

Naomi Shihab Nye

Remembering W.S. Merwin, Honorary Texan https://t.co/N76y1zdwl1

— The Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) March 25, 2019
View this post on Instagram

William Merwin, thank you for your life of endless grace, clarity, conviction, honesty, kindness, great good humor, wisdom, insight, and voice. #maui #haiku #cathysong #coppercanyon #palmtrees #merwinconservancy #loveandcare #planteverywhere #poetry #neverending

A post shared by Naomi Shihab Nye (@nshihab2018) on Mar 16, 2019 at 7:11am PDT


Bill McKibben

RIP W.S. Merwin, masterful poet, deep environmentalist, great friend, and a man connected to his planet like few others

On the last day of the world
I would want to plant a tree

— Bill McKibben (@billmckibben) March 15, 2019

Terry Tempest Williams

The palms Merwin planted must be both weeping over his death and celebrating his life, as we are. Oh how I loved him https://t.co/L4feANa0bG

— TerryTempestWilliams (@TempestWilliams) March 15, 2019

Beloved William Merwin passed this morning. I am so deeply grateful for his friendship, his influence, his words and the poems he leaves us

— TerryTempestWilliams (@TempestWilliams) March 15, 2019

Dr. Hope Jahren

On the last day of the world, I would want to plant a tree,” is an oft-quoted line from W.S. Merwin’s poem, “Place.” He wrote leaves of poetry, but he also grew real trees, thousands of them, writes @HopeJahren. https://t.co/mDRg8XXsSy

— NYT Opinion (@nytopinion) March 19, 2019

Re: my piece in the @nytopinion. Please visit and/or become a supporter of the Merwin Conservancy.https://t.co/uxKjZMRqpz

— Hope Jahren (@HopeJahren) March 19, 2019

Tracy K. Smith

“Merwin’s death marks a terrible loss for poetry. But the largeness of his vision, and the fact that his work is so profound as to be inexhaustible, is an immense consolation.”
— Tracy K. Smithhttps://t.co/wW9RMA47L2

— Princeton Arts (@princetonarts) March 21, 2019

Jane Hirshfield

“William is sometimes described as a poet of the numinous and absence. But he was a poet of this world, which he loved, cultivated, and restored. The poems continue to hold it all, just as each planted tree in France and in Hawaii does.” —Jane Hirshfield https://t.co/0f2RrtZqk6 pic.twitter.com/0rK8pwLvY4

— Poets.org (@POETSorg) March 17, 2019

Christopher Merrill and Alice Quinn

“Who more than Merwin endowed the day with that seed? Who could possibly approach him as a sower of immortal images in our poetry, the sounds and scents of landscapes?” https://t.co/RUavoYNzbv

— The Paris Review (@parisreview) March 19, 2019

Carrie Fountain

View this post on Instagram

One preoccupation I’ve had as my publisher begins identifying potential illustrators for The Poem Forest, my forthcoming children’s book, is that we find an artist with the ability to capture Mr. Merwin’s distinctive, beautiful face. As @nshihab2018 pointed out to me, in each stage of his long life, Mr Merwin’s face was expressive, captivating, and unique in its beauty and openness. I don’t have the words to express my feelings about Mr. Merwin’s work and legacy. So instead, here are some of my favorite photos of his face. I offer these as a celebration of the man who was, until yesterday, our greatest living American poet. We are lucky to live on and make art in his legacy. #wsmerwin #wsmerwinlegacy #merwinconservancy #americanpoetry #poetlaureate #palmtrees #maui #poetry

A post shared by Carrie Fountain (@carrie.fountain) on Mar 16, 2019 at 10:39am PDT


The New Yorker

Here’s my remembrance of Merwin & his work @NewYorker: https://t.co/IyZDfPfnRi

— Kevin Young (@Deardarkness) March 20, 2019

The poems of W. S. Merwin’s mature career were often Delphic, haunted, and bleak. They seemed to have been delivered unto him, and he transcribed them by lightning flash. https://t.co/Z4biUog5VT

— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) March 17, 2019

Kenyon Review

.@davidbakerpoet writes, “The breadth and generosity of his translations, his transcendent prose, his hope and hands-in-the-dirt ecological stewardship, his soulful presence: there is no greater example of what a poet is, to me, than William Merwin.”https://t.co/7MQ7QN0ESc

— Kenyon Review (@kenyonreview) March 16, 2019

Orion Magazine

All of us at Orion were saddened by the news of W.S. Merwin’s death. Merwin, who served as an advisor to Orion for many years, was a true friend to the magazine: https://t.co/rxTUBkLZXJ

— Orion Magazine (@Orion_Magazine) March 18, 2019

Alex Steffen

Though he is now gone from the world, W.S. Merwin remains one of America’s truly great poets—one whose words carried me through some of my darkest hours. pic.twitter.com/uxwAEeYgQ4

— Alex Steffen (@AlexSteffen) March 15, 2019

Susan Casey

We lost a giant today. Our beloved Maui friend and neighbor W.S. Merwin left us a surplus of beauty and wonder that will endure throughout time. Rest in peace with your beloved Paula, William. @merwincnsrvncy pic.twitter.com/0rSMHBBSV5

— susan casey (@caseymaui) March 15, 2019

Christopher Merrill

RIP W. S. Merwin: “I want to tell what the forests/ were like// I have to speak/in a forgotten language” Thank you for preserving and revitalizing that language.

— Christopher Merrill (@CLMerrill) March 15, 2019

Kevin Young

Saddened to hear of W.S. Merwin’s passing. He was one of the greats & one of my first poetry loves; got to interview him onstage a few years ago. The @NewYorker published over 200 of his poems over 70 years. Here’s a recent one: https://t.co/J7KGdM1BBS

— Kevin Young (@Deardarkness) March 15, 2019

Rachel Eliza Griffiths

Rachel Eliza Griffiths talks about the poetry she ripped out of magazines and carried around with her until it fell apart in her hands. https://t.co/AHU5tXvR4c

— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) April 18, 2019

Nicole Chung

“with the cities growing over us
we are saying thank you faster and faster
with nobody listening we are saying thank you
thank you we are saying and waving
dark though it is”

Merwin. <3 https://t.co/w28VPrVWCV

— Nicole Chung (@nicole_soojung) March 16, 2019

Michael Wiegers

“While we have lost a tremendous friend, the loss to American poetry is even more profound. From the stylistic inventions he introduced to the catalyzing force of his work in translation and international poetics, his influence on American poetry has been without equal.”

What an incredible life. Goodbye friend. pic.twitter.com/ItFMSrqQH0

— MWiegers (@MWiegers) March 15, 2019

Paul Holdengraber

R.I.P. W. S. MERWIN

‘There is only one thing I fear in life, my friend: one day, the black will swallow the red’
~ Mark Rothko pic.twitter.com/eygesbas3m

— Paul Holdengraber (@holdengraber) March 16, 2019

Stefan Schaefer


Kierán Suckling

W.S. Merwin (1927-2019)

Have been dreading this day. Merwin was an extraordinary poet, naturalist & activist for peace, native rights and endangered species. Working with him several times has been a highlight of my years at @CenterForBioDiv. Goodbye friend.

(thread) pic.twitter.com/lZ8n6Y394r

— Kierán Suckling (@KieranSuckling) March 16, 2019

Julianne Warren

“What you remember saves you. To remember
Is not to rehearse, but to hear what never
Has fallen silent…”–W.S. Merwin, “Learning a Dead Language”

He has given me so much to remember…

— ⌆ Julianne Warren ⌆ (@coyotetrail_) March 15, 2019

Summer Brennan

Dear W.S. Merwin, we are saying thank you. pic.twitter.com/GvXrUmG7O6

— Summer Brennan ?? (@summerbrennan) March 15, 2019

Jeffrey Brown

Great poet, great man: W.S. (William) Merwin. One of the most beautiful and inspiring days of my life, https://t.co/dmfrfyezW9 my wife and I walking through the palm reserve in Maui with William and his Paula. Love and gratitude to @wsmerwin and all @merwincnsrvncy

— Jeffrey Brown (@JeffreyBrown) March 16, 2019

Gregory Cowles

Unbearable to hear the Obits desk working the phones for W.S. Merwin. R.I.P.

— Gregory Cowles (@GregoryCowles) March 15, 2019

Seth Abrahmson

RIP, W.S. Merwin. One of the Greats. https://t.co/QxSIENrb4h

— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) March 16, 2019

Point Reyes Books

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Powell’s Books

“Poetry is a way of looking at the world for the first time.” – W. S. Merwin (1927-2019). Merwin, a former U.S. Poet Laureate, was also a practicing Buddhist who spent his last years restoring a Hawaiian rainforest. We are grateful for all the beauty he brought into this world. pic.twitter.com/9IxrEQQUfw

— Powell’s Books (@Powells) March 19, 2019

PBS NewsHour

W.S. Merwin, a prolific and versatile poetry master who evolved through a wide range of styles as he celebrated nature, condemned war and industrialism and reached for the elusive past, died Friday at the age of 91.

Learn more: https://t.co/gKYwbaSscr pic.twitter.com/pVN4Kxqqd8

— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) March 15, 2019

Poetry Foundation

We are saddened by W.S. Merwin’s passing. Spend time reflecting on his legacy in this collection of his work. https://t.co/oSBZ8EGMbc pic.twitter.com/tSlRefCAcx

— Poetry Foundation (@PoetryFound) March 15, 2019

Copper Canyon Press

Rest in peace W.S. MERWIN (1927-2019)—beloved poet, dear friend. pic.twitter.com/LlqWwTjiWi

— Copper Canyon Press (@CopperCanyonPrs) March 15, 2019

The Library of America

“The Proteus of American Poets: W.S. Merwin,” 1927–2017


PEN America

Rest in peace, W.S. Merwin. pic.twitter.com/kOYxoxrvw1

— PEN America (@PENamerican) March 15, 2019

Lit Hub

This is an enormous loss. RIP, W.S. Merwin, who died today at 91.

https://t.co/u8kGL33JwB

— Literary Hub (@lithub) March 15, 2019

The Paris Review

Rest in peace, W. S. Merwin.

Read our 1987 interview with the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, who passed away earlier today at the age of 91: https://t.co/1Qj1G0XkqD pic.twitter.com/EMNoGPxYT2

— The Paris Review (@parisreview) March 15, 2019

The New York Times

The poet W.S. Merwin has died at 91. His verse, marked by dissolution and absence, won him two Pulitzers and a National Book Award. https://t.co/pgT4uxcN16

— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 16, 2019

The Guardian

WS Merwin, Pulitzer-winning former US poet laureate, dies at 91 https://t.co/vnyNRPz2D9

— The Guardian (@guardian) March 16, 2019

Los Angeles Times

W.S. Merwin was the first poet I ever loved. I wrote a remembrance of him for the Los Angeles Times: https://t.co/RCrcdppb4y

— Michael Schaub (@michaelschaub) March 18, 2019

The Washington Post

My obit for W.S. Merwin, whose poems about the fragility of the natural world and the horrors of the Vietnam War earned him two Pulitzer Prizes and made him one of the preeminent English-language poets of the past five decades: https://t.co/OD5GVYBMTZ

— Harrison Smith (@harrisondsmith) March 15, 2019

Hawai‘i Public Radio

W.S. Merwin: Poet Laureate, Chronicler of Hawai’i History Dies at 91 https://t.co/Ff2y1AUTri

— Hawaii Public Radio (@wearehpr) March 15, 2019

Hawaiian Islands Land Trust


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  1. Margo Berdeshevsky says

    April 3, 2019 at 9:05 pm

    Here is a link to my remembrance and tribute to William at POETRY INTERNATIONAL (a letter from Paris) …by all means do add it to the tributes above… to read, and remember, and love, and share. With my deep aloha, and love, to William, as ever, and to us all who treasured and continue to treasure him.
    Margo

    https://poetryinternationalonline.com/letter-from-paris-in-march-2019-from-margo-berdeshevsky/

  2. Joseph Hutchison says

    April 7, 2019 at 9:03 am

    TO A VOICE

    “…the world we
    cling to in common is
    burning…”
    —W. S. Merwin

    When his breath lifted
    you toward us we listened
    to the green music
    of wind-blown island palms
    its thresh and flutter mingling with
    his measured native sounds
    lending them a fresh
    richness that strangeness
    without which beauty is not
    made perfect

    how did you learn to
    bear it all his keen outrage
    at the shamelessness
    of men and his pleasure
    in the presence of animals
    and his joy in late love
    all in words you brought
    words ours and not ours
    as they were and were not his
    all those years

    now his breath’s slipped back
    into the world’s breath but you
    bring the words and we
    speak them and feel his breath
    braiding with ours until we know
    he is gone and not gone
    know that thanks to you
    the palm-leaf sounds thrive
    in us and the burning world
    touches us

    through the living words

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