In the Library by Charles Simic

In the Library

by Charles Simic

There’s a book called

A Dictionary of Angels.

No one had opened it in fifty years,

I know, because when I did,

The covers creaked, the pages

Crumbled. There I discovered

The angels were once as plentiful

As species of flies.

The sky at dusk

Used to be thick with them.

You had to wave both arms

Just to keep them away.

Now the sun is shining

Through the tall windows.

The library is a quiet place.

Angels and gods huddled

In dark unopened books.

The great secret lies

On some shelf Miss Jones

Passes every day on her rounds.

She’s very tall, so she keeps

Her head tipped as if listening.

The books are whispering.

I hear nothing, but she does.

Could this be Miss Jones, the librarian who knows all of the secrets of the books? If so, is she actually an angel?

Like most (all?) poets, I love poems about the joys of reading and the mysteries of libraries (and vice-versa). Poems that include librarians get extra points.

This poem, from Simic's 2006 book, The Voice at 3 a.m. (Harcourt), has so many wonderful elements, starting with the speaker discovering a mysterious old book filled with obscure and magical information. Who would NOT want to find such a book?

The past skies thick with angels gives way to the current sky, sunshine pouring in through the library's windows. In that quiet place, there are still angels and also gods to be found "In dark unopened books."

The librarian, Miss Jones, knows, according to the speaker, which books hold these marvelous creatures. I love the fact that she is tall, so tall she has to bend her head down a bit to hear the books. They are whispering, and only Miss Jones can hear them. I have a feeling, however, that this speaker will soon be trying to find those books and listen for the whispers himself.

Not a complex poem, but a wonderful one nonetheless, mixing books, libraries, magical, fantastical creatures and librarians (a mortal tyle of fantastical creature). Simic's poem is really a love letter to reading and a note of thanks to libraries and those who work in them.

I hope you enjoyed this poem! See you on Sunday!