'Swan,' by Mary Oliver. Poems and prose. Reading from this book

The great singer Jessye Norman, whose voice once soared across the world, spoke with reverence of another kind of music when she declared: “‘Swan,’ by Mary Oliver. Poems and prose. Reading from this book is as if visiting a very wise friend. There is wisdom and welcoming kindness on every page.” In these words she reveals the power of poetry to console and guide, to offer not only beauty but wisdom. For the works of Mary Oliver, like the gentle glide of the swan, are not cold artifice but living companions, offering solace and direction to the soul.

The origin of this praise lies in Oliver’s writing itself—poems steeped in nature, silence, and wonder. She wrote not to dazzle with grandeur, but to whisper truths of life, death, and belonging in words simple yet profound. To open her book is, as Norman says, to sit with a friend—one who does not command, but who welcomes, who listens even as she speaks. This is the essence of Oliver’s gift: her lines carry both clarity and kindness, making readers feel less alone in their struggles and more alive to the sacredness of the everyday.

History echoes with the same experience. When the people of Athens listened to Homer’s epics, they felt as though they were guided by a companion whose song carried the lessons of gods and men. When weary soldiers in World War I read the verses of Wilfred Owen, they felt their own pain reflected and dignified by another’s voice. In each case, literature became not a distant monument, but a friend, drawing near with empathy and truth.

The ancients, too, understood this role of the poet. Hesiod and the Hebrew psalmists alike were not mere entertainers; they were keepers of wisdom, offering the people counsel and comfort through rhythm and word. A true poet, they believed, was touched by the divine, chosen to speak what ordinary speech cannot. Thus Oliver, in her quiet power, joins this eternal lineage, her poems carrying the same mixture of gentleness and strength.

Therefore, O seekers, treasure such works as Swan, for they are not just books but companions on the journey. In their pages you will find wisdom, not as dry law but as a living voice; you will feel the kindness of a friend who walks beside you in silence and in storm. Let poets like Mary Oliver remind you that the world is full of grace, and let Norman’s words teach you that to read such poetry is to be welcomed into a fellowship of souls that spans generations.