Tulips and Chimneys

This 1923 release was Cummings’s first book of verse. It entered the public domain in 2019.

The first edition, published by Thomas Seltzer, is reproduced here. Many poems submitted by the author were omitted. They would surface in subsequent books and future editions of this volume.

Table of contents

  1. Tulips
    1. Epithalamion
    2. Of Nicolette
    3. Songs
      1. I (thee will i praise between those rivers whose
      2. II Always before your voice my soul
      3. III The fingers make early flowers of
      4. IV All in green went my love riding
      5. V Doll’s boy ’s asleep
      6. VI when god lets my body be
    5. Puella Mea
    6. Chansons Innocentes
      1. I in Just-
      2. II hist whist
      3. III Tumbling-hair
        picker of buttercups
        violets
    8. Orientale
      1. I i spoke to thee
      2. II lean candles hunger in
      3. III my love
      4. IV listen
      5. V unto thee i
      6. VI the emperor
    10. Amores
      1. I consider O
      2. II there is a
      3. III as is the sea marvelous
      4. IV if i believe
      5. V the glory is fallen out of
      6. VI i like
      7. VII O Distinct
      8. VIII your little voice
        Over the wires came leaping
    12. La Guerre
      1. I the bigness of cannon
      2. II O sweet spontaneous
    14. Impressions
      1. I the sky a silver
      2. II writhe and
      3. III i was considering how
      4. IV the hours rise up putting off stars and it is
      5. V stinging
    16. Portraits
      1. I the
      2. II of evident invisibles
      3. III between nose-red gross
      4. IV i walked the boulevard
      5. V the young
      6. VI but the other
      7. VII the rose
      8. VIII Buffalo Bill ’s
      9. IX spring omnipotent goddess thou dost
      10. X somebody knew Lincoln somebody Xerxes
    18. Post Impressions
      1. I beyond the brittle towns asleep
      2. II the moon is hiding in
      3. III into the strenuous briefness
      4. IV i am going to utter a tree, Nobody
      5. V any man is wonderful
      6. VI at the head of this street a gasping organ is waving moth-eaten
  3. Chimneys
    1. Sonnets—Realities
      1. I the Cambridge ladies who live in furnished souls
      2. II goodby Betty,don’t remember me
      3. III ladies and gentlemen this little girl
      4. IV when you rang at Dick Mid’s Place
      5. V “kitty”. sixteen,5’ 1”,white,prostitute.
      6. VI when thou hast taken thy last applause,and when
    3. Sonnets—Unrealities
      1. I it may not always be so;and i say
      2. II god gloats upon Her stunning flesh. Upon
      3. III it is at moments after i have dreamed
      4. IV when citied day with the sonorous homes
      5. V a wind has blown the rain away and blown
      6. VI a connotation of infinity
    5. Sonnets—Actualities
      1. I a thing most new complete fragile intense,
      2. II my love is buiding a building
      3. III yours is the music for no instrument
      4. IV by little accurate saints thickly which tread
      5. V notice the convulsed orange inch of moon