Acrostic Poetry: The First-Ever Anthology

In this first-ever anthology, more than 80 acrostics show the versatility of a storied poetic form that dates back to ancient times. In standard acrostics, the initial letters of successive lines spell out words when read vertically. Highlights include Lewis Carroll’s acrostic about the namesake of his Alice character, Edward Lear’s humorous alphabet poem, Edgar Allan Poe’s sonnet with a name arranged diagonally, and a forty-stanza poem spelling out the Lord’s Prayer. Informative chapter introductions explore acrostic legends, including Sir John Davies, who began the tradition of using the form to praise someone’s name with acrostics about Queen Elizabeth I, and George Moses Horton, an African American slave who peddled produce and poems before he learned to write.

"Beginning with ancient acrostic poetry, the information in this remarkable book shares the fascinating history of this poetic form. Michael Croland’s well chronicled details reveal how acrostics have woven through society’s history. This rewarding collection of poems is a welcome gift for spreading interest and delight in acrostics." —Avis Harley, author of African Acrostics: A Word in Edgeways

“There’s a first time for everything,” 'they say, and that is apparently true for Michael Croland’s gathering of poems written in the venerable verse form called “acrostics.” . . . Croland has treated the subject exhaustively in this interesting volume.'" —Lewis Turco, author of The Book of Forms

"Far from basic poetry, acrostics, the introduction notes, 'have an ancient history in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew' and transcend the constrained form. From Blackwell’s three-line acrostic about the sun to Chilton’s lengthy poem about The Lord’s Prayer, readers will savor poems on assorted subjects from both famous authors and unknown writers." —Lisa M. Bolt Simons, author of Acrostic Poems

"Aficionados of wordplay will delight in this long overdue compendium of an often undervalued art form, which also discusses its history and highlights, along with variations ancient and modern such as the hidden acrostics in Shakespeare, Joyce, and, not unexpectedly, Lewis Carroll."
—Mark Burstein, president emeritus of The Lewis Carroll Society of North America

"It’s a poetic party on paper for Word Nerds like me, and a must-read for devotees of the form." —Brian P. Cleary, author of Bow-Tie Pasta: Acrostic Poems



 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Release date: Aug 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9780486852508

Book preview

e9780486850429_cover.jpg

Advance Praise for

Acrostic Poetry: The First-Ever Anthology

Beginning with ancient acrostic poetry, the information in this remarkable book shares the fascinating history of this poetic form. Michael Croland’s well chronicled details reveal how acrostics have woven through society’s history. This rewarding collection of poems is a welcome gift for spreading interest and delight in acrostics.

—Avis Harley, author of African Acrostics: A Word in Edgeways

There’s a first time for everything, they say, and that is apparently true for Michael Croland’s gathering of poems written in the venerable verse form called acrostics. . . . Croland has treated the subject exhaustively in this interesting volume.

—Lewis Turco, author of The Book of Forms

Far from basic poetry, acrostics, the introduction notes, have an ancient history in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew and transcend the constrained form. From Blackwell’s three-line acrostic about the sun to Chilton’s lengthy poem about The Lord’s Prayer, readers will savor poems on assorted subjects from both famous authors and unknown writers.

—Lisa M. Bolt Simons, author of Acrostic Poems

Aficionados of wordplay will delight in this long overdue compendium of an often undervalued art form, which also discusses its history and highlights, along with variations ancient and modern such as the hidden acrostics in Shakespeare, Joyce, and, not unexpectedly, Lewis Carroll.

—Mark Burstein, president emeritus of

The Lewis Carroll Society of North America

It’s a poetic party on paper for Word Nerds like me, and a must-read for devotees of the form.

—Brian P. Cleary, author of Bow-Tie Pasta: Acrostic Poems

Acrostic Poetry

The First-Ever Anthology

Edited by

Michael Croland

Dover Publications

Garden City, New York

DOVER THRIFT EDITIONS

General Editor: Susan L. Rattiner

Editor of This Volume: Michael Croland

To Tamara and Robin

Copyright

Copyright © 2023 by Dover Publications

All rights reserved.

Bibliographical Note

Acrostic Poetry: The First-Ever Anthology is a new work, first published by Dover Publications in 2023.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Croland, Michael, editor.

Title: Acrostic poetry : the first-ever anthology / edited by Michael Croland.

Description: Garden City, New York : Dover Publications, 2023. | Series: Dover thrift editions | Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: In this first-ever anthology, more than eighty acrostics show the versatility of a storied poetic form that dates back to ancient times. In standard acrostics, the initial letters of successive lines spell out words when read vertically—Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022056715 | ISBN 9780486850429 (trade paperback) | ISBN 0486850420 (trade paperback)

Subjects: LCSH: Acrostics. | LCGFT: Acrostics (Poetry)

Classification: LCC PN6371 .A37 2023 | DDC 808.81—dc23/eng/20230302

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022056715

Manufactured in the United States of America

www.doverpublications.com

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part I: Let's Start with A

Alphabet Poems

Part II: Famous Subjects

Kings and Queens

Presidents

Other Famous Subjects

Part III: Other Topics

Religion

Nature

Miscellany

Part IV: Noble Poets

George Moses Horton

Edgar Allan Poe

Lewis Carroll

Three Presidents and a First Lady

Potpourri of Prominent Poets

Epilogue: Hidden Acrostics by Shakespeare, Milton, and Joyce

Selected Bibliography

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to Peter Lenz and Susan Rattiner for your support of this anthology. Thank you to the rest of the Dover team, especially Peter Donahue, Janet Kopito, and Marie Zaczkiewicz.

Thank you to the Massachusetts Historical Society for providing What wou’d my feeble Muse so boldly fly? and Recipe for the Spleen, From an Old Woman, both by Louisa Catherine Adams, from the Adams Family Papers. Thank you, Amanda Norton and Hannah Elder, for your guidance and assistance.

Thank you to Vefa Bozos, Kelly Cobble of Adams National Historical Park, David Perle, and Jonah Schrogin for your help.

Thank you, Tamara, for your love and patience.

Poetically speaking, here’s a shout-out to Robin, Mom, Jack, Nancy, Benjamin, Alan, Marla, Dan, Lisa, Zachary, and Zoey.

INTRODUCTION

AT THE TIP OF THE VERSE

In a standard acrostic poem, the initial letters of successive lines spell out a word or group of words when read vertically. Variations include having the last letter of each line or a diagonal sequence of letters spell out words. The acrostic has attracted top-tier writers, poets laureate, and even presidents. It is well past time for this storied poetic form to get the spotlight.

The English word acrostic is based on the Latin acrostichis, which derives from the Greek akron (end) and stikhos (line of verse).

A common translation from the Greek is at the tip of the verse.

Acrostics have an ancient history in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. They might have originated as a mnemonic device for oral transmission of texts, with alphabet poems as the oldest version. Numerous examples appear in the Bible. Writers of acrostics in Latin include Plautus, who had acrostics at the beginning of his plays and died in 184 BCE; Commodianus, who composed eighty acrostics in the fourth century CE; and St. Augustine, who penned an alphabetical hymn in 393 CE.

Some key highlights of the development of acrostics in English are from a handful of books. In 1599, Sir John Davies paved the way for the tradition of using the form to praise someone’s name by writing twenty-six acrostics spelling out Queen Elizabeth I’s name in Hymnes of Astræa in Acrosticke Verse. In 1637, Mary Fage followed suit with 420 acrostics about royals and noblemen in Fames Roule. Between 1855 and 1876, Robert