Poetry

Enough Rope: A Book of Light Verse

Enough Rope: A Book of Light Verse

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  • Create Date：2022-02-20 14:16:45
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
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  • Author：Dorothy Parker
  • ISBN：0593466357
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Summary

Now available as a stand-alone edition， the famous humorist's debut collection--a runaway bestseller in 1926--ranges from lighthearted self-deprecation to acid-tongued satire， all the while gleefully puncturing sentimental clich�s about relations between men and women。

Known as the wittiest woman in America and a founder of the fabled Algonquin Round Table， Dorothy Parker was also one of the Jazz Age's most beloved poets。 Her verbal dexterity and cynical humor were on full display in the many poems she published in Vanity Fair， The New Yorker， and Life and collected in her first book in 1926。 The poems in Enough Rope range from lighthearted self-deprecation to acid-tongued satire， all the while gleefully puncturing sentimental clich�s about the relations between men and women。

Unfortunate Coincidence
By the time you swear you're his，
Shivering and sighing，
And he vows his passion is
Infinite， undying--
Lady， make a note of this:
One of you is lying。

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Reviews

Ace ，

Lyrical， but unable to fully immerse me。

Matt ，

So charming and funny， with a razor's edge。 So charming and funny， with a razor's edge。 。。。more

Jenn ，

I decided to start 2022 with reading books that entered the public domain today。 I did not know much about Dorothy Parker when I picked this one， but I recognized some of her writing as I was reading。 One of my favorites:The VeteranWhen I was young and bold and strong， Oh， right was right， and wrong was wrong！ My plume on high， my flag unfurled， I rode away to right the world。 “Come out， you dogs， and fight！" said I， And wept there was but once to die。But I am old; and good and bad Are woven in I decided to start 2022 with reading books that entered the public domain today。 I did not know much about Dorothy Parker when I picked this one， but I recognized some of her writing as I was reading。 One of my favorites:The VeteranWhen I was young and bold and strong， Oh， right was right， and wrong was wrong！ My plume on high， my flag unfurled， I rode away to right the world。 “Come out， you dogs， and fight！" said I， And wept there was but once to die。But I am old; and good and bad Are woven in a crazy plaid。 I sit and say， "The world is so; And he is wise who lets it go。 A battle lost， a battle won The difference is small， my son。"Inertia rides and riddles me; The which is called Philosophy。 。。。more

Michael P。 ，

This book has grown considerably in my estimation since the first time I read it。 I finished every poem。 While there are a few I do not believe are as fine or fun as the others， I overall like this collection a lot。

Kimee ，

Delightful。 The edition I have from 1944 isn't on Goodreads but it's the prettiest book I own and I bought it for $12 at Dog Eared books and I love it。 Delightful。 The edition I have from 1944 isn't on Goodreads but it's the prettiest book I own and I bought it for $12 at Dog Eared books and I love it。 。。。more

Nasar ，

Some of the ones I liked:BRAGGARTThe days will rally， wreathing Their crazy tarantelle; And you must go on breathing，But I’ll be safe in hell。 Like January weather， The years will bite and smart，And pull your bones together To wrap your chattering heart。 The pretty stuff you’re made of Will crack and crease and dry。 The thing you are afraid of Will look from every eye。 You will go faltering after The bright， imperious line，And split your throat on laughter，And burn your eyes with brine。 You will Some of the ones I liked:BRAGGARTThe days will rally， wreathing Their crazy tarantelle; And you must go on breathing，But I’ll be safe in hell。 Like January weather， The years will bite and smart，And pull your bones together To wrap your chattering heart。 The pretty stuff you’re made of Will crack and crease and dry。 The thing you are afraid of Will look from every eye。 You will go faltering after The bright， imperious line，And split your throat on laughter，And burn your eyes with brine。 You will be frail and musty With peering， furtive head，Whilst I am young and lustyAmong the roaring dead。 PLEASecrets， you said， would hold us two apart;You'd have me know of you your least transgression And so the intimate places of your heart，Kneeling， you bared to me， as in confession。Softly you told of loves that went before，— Of clinging arms， of kisses gladly given;Luxuriously clean of heart once more，You rose up， then， and stood before me， shriven。 When this， my day of happiness， is through， And love， that bloomed so fair， turns brown and brittle，There is a thing that I shall ask of you— I， who have given so much， and asked so little。 Some day， when there’s another in my stead;Again you’ll feel the need of absolution，And you will go to her， and bow your head， And offer her your past， as contribution。 When with your list of loves you overcome her， For Heaven’s sake， keep this one secret from her！ A VERY SHORT SONGOnce， when I was young and true，Someone left me sad— Broke my brittle heart in two; And that is very bad。 Love is for unlucky folk， Love is but a curse。 Once there was a heart I broke; And that， I think， is worse。 THE IMMORTALSIf you should sail for Trebizond， or die， Or cry another name in your first sleep， Or see me board a train， and fail to sigh，Appropriately， I’d clutch my breast and weep。And you， if I should wander through the door， Or sin， or seek a nunnery， or save My lips and give my cheek， would tread the floor And aptly mention poison and the grave。 Therefore the mooning world is gratified，Quoting how prettily we sigh and swear; And you and I， correctly side by side， Shall live as lovers when our bones are bare; And though we lie forever enemies，Shall rank with Abelard and Heloise。 UNFORTUNATE COINCIDENCE By the time you swear you're his，Shivering and sighing，And he vows his passion is Infinite， undying— Lady， make a note of this:One of you is lying。 。。。more

Jason Kron ，

Such a perfect combination of rhyming poetry and intelligent language without it sounding dense and antiquated。 Such a distinct voice too。

Casian ，

No complaints absolutely love her poetry， so accessible but always so much more to it。 Favourite poem: Unfortunate Coincidence

Moon Captain ，

So I turned 35 and the air outside is unbreathable from wildfires so i drank wine in bed and read this and it was perfect。 Dorothy fucking rules

Kyle ，

i'm not its target audience but it had some clever bits i'm not its target audience but it had some clever bits 。。。more

Ben ，

Hb with protected jacket; Sun Dial Pr， 1940

Jewel Loree ，

Funny and sad and basically my internal monologue

Rosario ，

After reading for the first time one of her books， i can safely say Dorothy Parker was a genius。 She mixes a simple， almost childish rhyme with adult themes in a brilliant way， and she doesn't shy from humour and sarcasm。 This is a light-hearted read， which you are sure to enjoy。 After reading for the first time one of her books， i can safely say Dorothy Parker was a genius。 She mixes a simple， almost childish rhyme with adult themes in a brilliant way， and she doesn't shy from humour and sarcasm。 This is a light-hearted read， which you are sure to enjoy。 。。。more

Jeri ，

One of my favorite books of poetry。 Full of snark， wit and also vulnerability and longing。

Doug ，

I read a book of Dorothy Parker's short stories and thought they were amazing。 So then I read this book。 Each poem was fine， and some were really good。 Maybe most were。 The problem was their similarity。 She just kept writing the same poem over and over again。 Her use of meter was great， her rhyme schemes were often very clever。 But "clever" can only take you so far。 It was hard to finish this collection because of how similar they all were。I know I'm not the intended audience of her poetry， on m I read a book of Dorothy Parker's short stories and thought they were amazing。 So then I read this book。 Each poem was fine， and some were really good。 Maybe most were。 The problem was their similarity。 She just kept writing the same poem over and over again。 Her use of meter was great， her rhyme schemes were often very clever。 But "clever" can only take you so far。 It was hard to finish this collection because of how similar they all were。I know I'm not the intended audience of her poetry， on many dimensions。 But I can only rate based on my experience， and as badly as I wanted to love this book。。。 I didn't。 。。。more

Florencia ，

Keep me from the old distress;Let me， for our happiness，Be the one to love the less。– Dorothy Parker， "Somebody’s song" It takes a certain kind of humor， singularity and incurable ennui to be able to enjoy this poetry collection written by a woman whose words had the ability to build and destroy， whose voice—louder at first and brittle by the end of the sentence but always effective—was hidden inside a delicate body which could break at any moment。 A woman who revolutionized the beginning of the Keep me from the old distress;Let me， for our happiness，Be the one to love the less。– Dorothy Parker， "Somebody’s song" It takes a certain kind of humor， singularity and incurable ennui to be able to enjoy this poetry collection written by a woman whose words had the ability to build and destroy， whose voice—louder at first and brittle by the end of the sentence but always effective—was hidden inside a delicate body which could break at any moment。 A woman who revolutionized the beginning of the 20th century with her quick mind， her sardonic remarks， her peculiar heart， a heavy a heart it is / That hangs about my neck—a clumsy stone / Cut with a birth， a death， a bridal-day。 I may be playing with your perception。 If you only knew the rest of that poem。 A Well-Worn StoryIn April， in April，My one love came along，And I ran the slope of my high hillTo follow a thread of song。His eyes were hard as porphyryWith looking on cruel lands;His voice went slipping over meLike terrible silver hands。Together we trod the secret laneAnd walked the muttering town。I wore my heart like a wet， red stainOn the breast of a velvet gown。In April， in April，My love went whistling by，And I stumbled here to my high hillAlong the way of a lie。Now what should I do in this placeBut sit and count the chimes，And splash cold water on my faceAnd spoil a page with rhymes？ I was aware of Dorothy Parker’s existence but this year， for some reason， I finally decided to become acquainted with her work。 She is now part of my list of favorite authors。 Enough rope， published in 1926， was her first poetry collection。 Her verse speaks of love and its curses， unbearable absence， Death unable to fulfill its goal， the secondary role of a woman during those years and the fact that， despite all misadventures， another day awaits; another circle of joy and disappointment— you might as well live。 I've read this volume and Sunset Gun aloud， relishing every word， the different meanings and fluent musicality。 That's unusual for me。 The Small Hours No more my little song comes back;And now of nights I layMy head on down， to watch the blackAnd wait the unfailing gray。Oh， sad are winter nights， and slow;And sad's a song that's dumb;And sad it is to lie and knowAnother dawn will come。 As I kept reading Parker's poems， I saw her memories behind almost each line。 Her tragic life， replete with many useless men and brief sparks of love， or something similar mixed with diversion。Never disillusion has been discussed so cleverly。 One look at her "Ballade of a great weariness" and its sharp， recurring line （scratch a lover， and find a foe） would suffice。 However， despite her caustic tongue， her penchant for drama and self-destruction or her apparent inability to learn from her mistakes， I also discovered a strong woman who hardly followed conventional rules， disliked the domestic life forced upon women and at times surpassed men in their own game。 Moreover， I found a resilient person who was able to re-adapt， as well as she could though she couldn’t do much， to life after great loss—the kind of loss that transcends the sometimes mundane realm of relationships。 There are colorful poems， yes， but there is great intimacy and depth behind some playful rhymes to know that there is always enough rope。 FinisNow it's over， and now it's done; Why does everything look the same？ Just as bright， the unheeding sun，— Can't it see that the parting came？ People hurry and work and swear， Laugh and grumble and die and wed， Ponder what they will eat and wear，—Don't they know that our love is dead？ Just as busy， the crowded street; Cars and wagons go rolling on， Children chuckle， and lovers meet，— Don't they know that our love is gone？ No one pauses to pay a tear; None walks slow， for the love that's through，—I might mention， my recent dear， I've reverted to normal， too。 Parker’s poetry is remarkably candid。 She spoke freely of her failures and fears and her verse is the sum of all emotions。 Poignant， witty， cynical， unapologetic—her Symptom Recital is self-explanatory。 Never happy， nonetheless。 She is part of a group of people that look at life through pessimistic eyes。 Her epigrammatic style even helped coin a useful expression。 Every time the phone rings， the doorbell sounds， and now， that an email notification arrives， they prepare for the worst。 The unknown is out there， waiting to cause harm since that is all they ever knew。 And the slightest change makes them wonder， as Parker usually did， “what fresh hell is this？” Poor fearless voices overcome by relentless fears they try to fool with a funny remark。 They fool their surroundings。 And everything is fine。June 01， 19* Later on my blog。** I keep changing the rating from four to five stars， depending on my mood。 Objectively speaking， it is a 4-star book。 。。。more

Bonnie ，

Reading these wonderful poems does not disappoint， I enjoyed every one。 She was born a hundred years too soon， I wish she was here now to straighten us out。

Stuart ，

some men， some mencannot pass abookshop

Mischa ，

best ones:Testament

Marsinay ，

When she was good， she was VERY very good。。。

Ashley Simek ，

One of my favorite collections of poetry by one of my favorite poets。 Sarcastic， witty， sharp poetry。

Anachronistic ，

I enjoyed Dorothy Parker's wit very much。 It's my first time reading this kind of poetry and tbh， I never was a poetry kind of person， but I'm currently experiencing some poetry work and it is going well so far。 I enjoyed Dorothy Parker's wit very much。 It's my first time reading this kind of poetry and tbh， I never was a poetry kind of person， but I'm currently experiencing some poetry work and it is going well so far。 。。。more

Amy ，

I feel like it is time we talk about the seriously misleading statement on the cover of this book: "A brilliant collection of witty verses guaranteed to dispel gloom。" Yes， because nothing dispels gloom like: "Lilacs blossom just as sweet / Now that my heart is shattered。" Or: "Death's the lover that I'd be taking; / Wild and fickle and fierce is he。 / Small's his care if my heart be breaking-- / Gay young Death would have none of me。"Or my personal favorite， Résumé: "Razors pain you; / Rivers a I feel like it is time we talk about the seriously misleading statement on the cover of this book: "A brilliant collection of witty verses guaranteed to dispel gloom。" Yes， because nothing dispels gloom like: "Lilacs blossom just as sweet / Now that my heart is shattered。" Or: "Death's the lover that I'd be taking; / Wild and fickle and fierce is he。 / Small's his care if my heart be breaking-- / Gay young Death would have none of me。"Or my personal favorite， Résumé: "Razors pain you; / Rivers are damp; / Acids stain you; / And drugs cause cramp。 / Guns aren't lawful; / Nooses give; / Gas smells awful; / You might as well live。"So gloom dispelling。 2017 ReviewI love this little volume。。。and I normally don't like poetry！ Parker is cynical， depressed， and heart-sore yet so real。 She is occasionally trite and sarcastic but rarely dull。 Sad， yet beautiful， poetry。 。。。more

Karen-Leigh ，

Poetry that speaks to me。

Nicole ，

Witty and sincere in equal measure。 I'd only read Dorothy Parker's short stories before， and this is even better。 Deliciously pithy。 Witty and sincere in equal measure。 I'd only read Dorothy Parker's short stories before， and this is even better。 Deliciously pithy。 。。。more

Roxie ，

Probably my favorite poetry book to date。

Helena ，

Loads of people before me have already talked about the author and how she was a pioneer ahead of her time， so let me just skip that part and go straight to my personal feelings about this book。Dorothy Parker was the poet of my teenage emo days。 Now， almost 10 years later， I read for the first time a book of poetry by her instead of the odd poem every once in a while。 It took me much longer than I expected to get through this thin book of poems。 Some of them were heavy， some of them were light， Loads of people before me have already talked about the author and how she was a pioneer ahead of her time， so let me just skip that part and go straight to my personal feelings about this book。Dorothy Parker was the poet of my teenage emo days。 Now， almost 10 years later， I read for the first time a book of poetry by her instead of the odd poem every once in a while。 It took me much longer than I expected to get through this thin book of poems。 Some of them were heavy， some of them were light， all of them were about the same thing - spoiler alert: it's heartbreak - which is perhaps why I felt it necessary to take long breaks in between。 In the end， I did enjoy them all separately （the when-I'm-dead-you'll-be-sorry ones were particular favourites， as they spoke to me and the suppressed emo still inside of me）， and would recommend them to my fellow former emo children。 。。。more

Romany Arrowsmith ，

Dorothy Parker is like an anti-Sara Teasdale （though I have nothing but love for the sweetness of ST's work！）。 Whereas Teasdale was all unabashed， earnest sentimentality， Parker was all cutting， flippant cynicism。 Those who complain about her singsongy style have， astoundingly， managed to completely miss the point of the compilation。 Parker intentionally satirizes the singsongy metered rhyme of lovestruck poets like Teasdale and Dickinson。 Nevertheless she handily switches gears to a more seriou Dorothy Parker is like an anti-Sara Teasdale （though I have nothing but love for the sweetness of ST's work！）。 Whereas Teasdale was all unabashed， earnest sentimentality， Parker was all cutting， flippant cynicism。 Those who complain about her singsongy style have， astoundingly， managed to completely miss the point of the compilation。 Parker intentionally satirizes the singsongy metered rhyme of lovestruck poets like Teasdale and Dickinson。 Nevertheless she handily switches gears to a more serious style when she so pleases。 Here's one of her quick， flippant verses:By the time you swear you're his，Shivering and sighing，And he vows his passion isInfinite， undying -Lady， make a note of this:One of you is lying。next to a couple of her more "poetical" lines:You do not know how heavy a heart it isThat hangs about my neck- a clumsy stoneCut with a birth， a death， a bridal-day。Each time I love， I find it still my own，Who take it， now to that lad， now to this，Seeking to give the wretched thing away。All in all， a great collection。 A quick， astute look into the human heart。 。。。more

Bookish Jen ，

“I was just a little Jewish girl trying to be cute。”—Dorothy ParkerDorothy Parker was probably one of the sharpest， wittiest women of the 20th century。 She wrote everything from screenplays to short stories to literary criticism for Enough Ropepublications like Vanity Fair， Vogue， Life， and the New Yorker。 But as April draws to a close， I want to concentrate on Dorothy Parker’s poetry。Parker sold her first poem to Vanity Fair in 1914。 Even after she honed her writing talents on other projects， s “I was just a little Jewish girl trying to be cute。”—Dorothy ParkerDorothy Parker was probably one of the sharpest， wittiest women of the 20th century。 She wrote everything from screenplays to short stories to literary criticism for Enough Ropepublications like Vanity Fair， Vogue， Life， and the New Yorker。 But as April draws to a close， I want to concentrate on Dorothy Parker’s poetry。Parker sold her first poem to Vanity Fair in 1914。 Even after she honed her writing talents on other projects， she never stopped writing poems。 She published several tomes of her poetry， and I was fortunate to find a couple books featuring her poems at my local library， Enough Rope and The Collected Poetry of Dorothy Parker。 Even though most of these poems were written nearly a century ago， they still hold up today and are relatable to modern audiences。 Collected poetry DPLike so many ladies， Parker was often bewildered when it came to romance and relationships。 And she summed up this bewilderment in this brief and perfectly stated poem:Unfortunate CoincidenceBy the time you swear you’re hisShivering and sighing，And he vows his passion isInfinite， undying—Lady， make a note of this:One of you is lying。Only a few short lines， but says so much。 Unfortunate Coincidence is both timeless and timely。 In fact， while reading Parker’s poetry I couldn’t help think how well she would have done on social media， using Twitter， Instagram and Facebook to post her poems to a global audience。Among her other love-based poetry， I also love the following pieces of perfectly posed pithy poems:General Review of the Sex SituationWoman wants monogamy;Man delights in novelty。Love is woman’s moon and sun;Man has other forms of fun。Woman lives but in her lord;Count to ten， and man is bored。With this gist and sum of it，What earthly good can come of it？Pictures in the SmokeOh， gallant was the first love， and glittering and fine;The second love was water， in a clear white cup;The love was his， and the fourth was mine;And after that， I always get them mixed up。MenThey hail you as their morning starBecause you are the way you are。If you return the sentiment，They’ll try to make your different;And once they have you， safe and sound，They’ll want to change you all around。Your moods and woods they put a cure on;They’d make of you another person。They cannot let you go your gait;They influence and educate。They’d alter all that they admired。They make me sick， they make me tired。And the following poem reminds me of past suitors who always treated my writing as a “cute little hobby。” Somehow my feelings are more artfully stated in Parker’s poem Fighting Words than a profane response like， “Fuck you。”Fighting WordsSay my love is easy hadSay I’m bitten raw with pride，Say I’m too often sad—Still behold me at your side。Say I’m neither brave nor young，Say I woo and coddle care，Say the devil touched my tongue，—Still you have my heart to wear。But say my verses do not scan，And I get me another man！And then there are a lady’s platonic relationships， and she had a poem aimed at “frenemies” long before Carrie Bradshaw and Co。 came up with the concept。The LealThe friends I made have slipped and strayed，And who’s the one that cares？A trifling lot and best forgot—And that’s my tale and， and theirs。Then if my friendships break and bend，There’s little need to cry The while I know that every foeIs faithful till I die。And what about America’s preoccupation with self-reflection and self-help？ Why， yes。 Parker wrote a poem those things， too。InventoryFour be the things I am wiser to know:Idleness， sorrow， a friend， and foe。Four be the things I’d been better without:Love， curiosity， freckles， and doubt。Three be the things I shall never attain:Envy， content， and sufficient champagne。Three be the things I shall have till I die:Laughter and hope and a sock in the eye。But eventually the concepts of love， friendship， the power of written verses， and a maddening fixation with oneself grows tiresome。 What else is there？ Why， fashion， of course！ And Parker knew the charms fabulous frock。The Satin DressNeedle， needle， dip and dart，Thrusting up and down，Where’s the man could ease a heartLike a satin gown？See the stitches curve and crawlRound the cunning seams—Patterns thin and sweet and smallAs a lady’s dreams。Wantons go in bright brocade;Brides in organdie;Gingham’s for the plighted maid;Satin’s for the free！Wool’s to line a miser’s chest;Crepe’s to calm the old;Velvet hides an empty breastSatin’s for the bold！Lawn is for a bishop’s yoke;Linen’s for a nun;Satin is for wiser folk—Would the dress were done！Satin glows in candlelight—Satin’s for the proud！They will say who watch at night，“What a fine shroud！”Sadly， Parker’s finely-honed wit and vast writing talent thinly veiled her struggles with depression， drinking， divorce， not to mention career woes and a lack of self-esteem， which made her very dismissive of both her talents and accomplishments。 Yet， somehow she was able to find a humor in the gallows， and commented suicidal thoughts in one of her most notable poems， Résumé。RésuméRazors pain you;Rivers are damp;Acids stain you;And drugs cause cramp。Guns aren’t lawful;Nooses give;Gas smells awful;You might as well live。Dorothy Parker died nearly forgotten in 1967， but became legendary and an icon to anybody who appreciates salty good humor with mad writing skills。 She is a true icon and inspiration to ladies of letters， including this one。 Of Parker’s work The Nation described it as “caked with a salty humor， rough with splinters of disillusion， and tarred with a bright black authenticity”。 Dorothy Parker， you were so much more than a “little Jewish girl trying to be cute。” You are a heroine to every girl and women who bravely picked up pen and paper and put thoughts into words。Originally published at the Book Self:https://thebookselfblog。wordpress。com。。。 。。。more

Nancy ，

Much sadder than I had anticipated。 There are some very clever gems in here。 One， called "Men"， I thought could just as easily be called "Women"。 Well said though either way。 This contains "Resume" and some other old standbys。 There were a lot on lost love。 The second part was lighter than the first。 Much sadder than I had anticipated。 There are some very clever gems in here。 One， called "Men"， I thought could just as easily be called "Women"。 Well said though either way。 This contains "Resume" and some other old standbys。 There were a lot on lost love。 The second part was lighter than the first。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Enough Rope: A Book of Light Verse

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Enough Rope: A Book of Light Verse&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Enough Rope: A Book of Light Verse&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0