Sara Teasdale
Encyclopedia
Sara Teasdale was an American
lyrical poet
. She was born Sara Trevor Teasdale in St. Louis, Missouri
, and after her marriage in 1914 she went by the name Sara Teasdale Filsinger.
Teasdale's first poem was published in Reedy's Mirror
, a local newspaper, in 1907. Her first collection of poems, Sonnets to Duse and Other Poems, was published that same year.
Teasdale's second collection of poems, Helen of Troy and Other Poems, was published in 1911. It was well received by critics, who praised its lyrical mastery and romantic subject matter.
In the years 1911 to 1914, Teasdale courted a few men, including poet Vachel Lindsay
, who was absolutely in love with her but did not feel that he could provide enough money or stability to keep her satisfied. She chose instead to marry Ernst Filsinger, who had been a fan of her poetry for a number of years, on December 19, 1914.
Teasdale's third poetry collection, Rivers to the Sea, was published in 1915 and was a best seller, being reprinted several times. A year later, in 1916 she moved to New York City
with Filsinger, where they resided in an Upper West Side
apartment on Central Park West.
In 1918, her poetry collection Love Songs (released 1917) won three awards: the Columbia University
Poetry
Society
prize, the 1918 Pulitzer Prize
for poetry and the annual prize of the Poetry Society of America
.
Filsinger was away a lot on business which caused a lot of loneliness for Teasdale. In 1929, she moved interstate for three months, thereby satisfying the criteria to gain a divorce. She did not wish to inform Filsinger, and only did so at the insistence of her lawyers as the divorce was going through—Filsinger was shocked and surprised.
Post-divorce, Teasdale remained in New York City, living only two blocks away from her old home on Central Park West. She rekindled her friendship with Vachel Lindsay, who was by this time married with children.
In 1933, she committed suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. Her friend Vachel Lindsay had committed suicide two years earlier. She is interred in the Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.
surrounds Teasdale's suicide. The legend claims that her poem "I Shall Not Care" (which features themes of abandonment, bitterness, and contemplation of death) was penned as a suicide note to a former lover. However, the poem was actually first published in her 1915 collection Rivers to the Sea, a full 18 years before her suicide:
I shall have peace, as leafy trees are peaceful
" from her 1920 collection Flame and Shadow inspired and featured in a famous short story of the same name
by Ray Bradbury
.
In 1994, she was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame
.
In 2010, Teasdale's works were for the first time published in Italy
, translated by Silvio Raffo
.
In 1967 Tom Rapp
and the group Pearls Before Swine
recorded a musical rendition of "I Shall Not Care" on their first album One Nation Underground
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lyrical poet
Lyric poetry
Lyric poetry is a genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings. In the ancient world, lyric poems were those which were sung to the lyre. Lyric poems do not have to rhyme, and today do not need to be set to music or a beat...
. She was born Sara Trevor Teasdale in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, and after her marriage in 1914 she went by the name Sara Teasdale Filsinger.
Biography
Sara Teasdale was born on August 8, 1884. She had poor health for most of her life, and it was only at age 14 that she was well enough to begin school. In 1898 she began attending Mary Institute, but switched rapidly to Hosmer Hall in 1899, where she finished in 1903.Teasdale's first poem was published in Reedy's Mirror
Reedy's Mirror
Reedy's Mirror was a literary journal in St. Louis, Missouri in the fin de siècle era. It billed itself "The Mid-West Weekly".-Overview:The journal first appeared on February, 25 1891 under the title of the Sunday Mirror, published by The Sunday Mirror Company in St. Louis. On February 28, 1895,...
, a local newspaper, in 1907. Her first collection of poems, Sonnets to Duse and Other Poems, was published that same year.
Teasdale's second collection of poems, Helen of Troy and Other Poems, was published in 1911. It was well received by critics, who praised its lyrical mastery and romantic subject matter.
In the years 1911 to 1914, Teasdale courted a few men, including poet Vachel Lindsay
Vachel Lindsay
Nicholas Vachel Lindsay was an American poet. He is considered the father of modern singing poetry, as he referred to it, in which verses are meant to be sung or chanted...
, who was absolutely in love with her but did not feel that he could provide enough money or stability to keep her satisfied. She chose instead to marry Ernst Filsinger, who had been a fan of her poetry for a number of years, on December 19, 1914.
Teasdale's third poetry collection, Rivers to the Sea, was published in 1915 and was a best seller, being reprinted several times. A year later, in 1916 she moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with Filsinger, where they resided in an Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
apartment on Central Park West.
In 1918, her poetry collection Love Songs (released 1917) won three awards: the Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
Poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
Society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
prize, the 1918 Pulitzer Prize
1918 Pulitzer Prize
-Journalism awards:*Public Service:**The New York Times, for its public service in publishing in full so many official reports, documents and speeches by European statesmen relating to the progress and conduct of World War I.*Reporting:**Harold A...
for poetry and the annual prize of the Poetry Society of America
Poetry Society of America
The Poetry Society of America is a literary organization founded in 1910 by poets, editors, and artists including Witter Bynner. It is the oldest poetry organization in the United States. Past members of the have included such renowned writers as Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Edna St. Vincent...
.
Filsinger was away a lot on business which caused a lot of loneliness for Teasdale. In 1929, she moved interstate for three months, thereby satisfying the criteria to gain a divorce. She did not wish to inform Filsinger, and only did so at the insistence of her lawyers as the divorce was going through—Filsinger was shocked and surprised.
Post-divorce, Teasdale remained in New York City, living only two blocks away from her old home on Central Park West. She rekindled her friendship with Vachel Lindsay, who was by this time married with children.
In 1933, she committed suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. Her friend Vachel Lindsay had committed suicide two years earlier. She is interred in the Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.
Teasdale's suicide and "I Shall Not Care"
A common urban legendUrban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
surrounds Teasdale's suicide. The legend claims that her poem "I Shall Not Care" (which features themes of abandonment, bitterness, and contemplation of death) was penned as a suicide note to a former lover. However, the poem was actually first published in her 1915 collection Rivers to the Sea, a full 18 years before her suicide:
"I Shall Not Care"
WHEN I am dead and over me bright April-
- Shakes out her rain-drenched hair,
- Tho' you should lean above me broken-hearted,
-
- I shall not care.
-
I shall have peace, as leafy trees are peaceful
-
-
- When rain bends down the bough,
-
- And I shall be more silent and cold-hearted
-
- Than you are now.
-
Legacy and influence
The poem "There Will Come Soft RainsThere Will Come Soft Rains
"There Will Come Soft Rains" is a 12-line poem by Sara Teasdale in her collection Flame and Shadow, published in 1920 . The subject of the poem imagines nature reclaiming the earth after humanity has been wiped out by a war...
" from her 1920 collection Flame and Shadow inspired and featured in a famous short story of the same name
There Will Come Soft Rains (short story)
"There Will Come Soft Rains" is a short story by science fiction author Ray Bradbury which was first published in the May 6, 1950 issue of Collier's...
by Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
.
In 1994, she was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame
St. Louis Walk of Fame
The St. Louis Walk of Fame honors well-known people from St. Louis, Missouri, who made contributions to culture of the United States. All inductees were either born in the Greater St. Louis area or spent their formative or creative years there...
.
In 2010, Teasdale's works were for the first time published in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, translated by Silvio Raffo
Silvio Raffo
Silvio Raffo is an Italian writer and translator. He's the most prolific translator of English and American women writers from English to Italian. A screen adaptation of his 1996 novel "Voice From The Stone" will be directed by Eric Howell.-Life and career:Silvio Raffo was born in Rome, Italy, Italy...
.
In 1967 Tom Rapp
Tom Rapp
Thomas Dale Rapp is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the leader of Pearls Before Swine, the psychedelic folk rock group of the 1960s and 1970s. More recently he has practiced as a lawyer.-Life:...
and the group Pearls Before Swine
Pearls Before Swine (band)
Pearls Before Swine was an American psychedelic folk band formed by Tom Rapp in 1965 in Eau Gallie, now part of Melbourne, Florida. They released six albums between 1967 and 1971, before Rapp launched a solo career.-Early years, 1965-68:...
recorded a musical rendition of "I Shall Not Care" on their first album One Nation Underground
One Nation Underground (Pearls Before Swine album)
One Nation Underground was the debut album by American psychedelic folk group Pearls Before Swine. It was released on the ESP-Disk label in October 1967....
.
External links
- Sara Teasdale's Photo & Gravesite at findagrave
- Our Poets of Today by Howard Willard Cook (1918 book) (Google Books copy)
- Modern American poetry by Louis Untermeyer (1921 book) (Google Books copy)she wrote over 600 poems.