Iron Horse (poem)
Encyclopedia
Iron Horse is a poem written by Allen Ginsberg
. It is an important part of his The Fall of America: Poems of These States
sequence of poems written in the mid to late sixties. Iron Horse was published in January 1973 by Coach House Press of Toronto, Canada. Also in 1973 in Göttingen, Germany by Udo Breger's Expanded Media Editions. The first us-american edition was a 1974 booklet by City Lights, San Francisco.
. It was initially dictated to tape and later transcribed. The second part of the poem takes place on a Greyhound bus.
The poem is typified by its fluctuating observations, and uses many of the same devices and expressions found in other poems in The Fall of America.
Some of the topics Ginsberg touches upon in the poem include: a group of soldiers riding the train some of them probably on their way to Vietnam
and their mentality; a nostalgic feeling for his past and youth, ruminations on his own public persona, entertaining the thought of retiring to some solitary life; current events, headlines, conversations (overheard or imaginary) taking place on the train, and sights; both on and off the train.
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
. It is an important part of his The Fall of America: Poems of These States
The Fall of America: Poems of These States
The Fall of America: Poems of These States is a book of poetry by Allen Ginsberg, published by City Lights in 1973 for which Ginsberg won the National Book Award. It's characterized by a prophetic tone inspired by William Blake and Walt Whitman, as well as an objective view characterized by William...
sequence of poems written in the mid to late sixties. Iron Horse was published in January 1973 by Coach House Press of Toronto, Canada. Also in 1973 in Göttingen, Germany by Udo Breger's Expanded Media Editions. The first us-american edition was a 1974 booklet by City Lights, San Francisco.
Content
The first part of Iron Horse was composed July 22, 1966, as Ginsberg rode a train from the West Coast to ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. It was initially dictated to tape and later transcribed. The second part of the poem takes place on a Greyhound bus.
The poem is typified by its fluctuating observations, and uses many of the same devices and expressions found in other poems in The Fall of America.
Some of the topics Ginsberg touches upon in the poem include: a group of soldiers riding the train some of them probably on their way to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and their mentality; a nostalgic feeling for his past and youth, ruminations on his own public persona, entertaining the thought of retiring to some solitary life; current events, headlines, conversations (overheard or imaginary) taking place on the train, and sights; both on and off the train.