"Of the three postwar writers whose work seems most clearly to answer to Adorno's sense that no poetry can be written after the Holocaust, it is Eich (Beckett and Celan are the others) whose refusal of rhetoric is most thorough, with the result that the speaker--the authorial presence--whoever it is who would have persuaded, blamed, or badgered us, seems to have vanished into thin air, leaving nothing to come between ourselves and the pure experience offered by the poems."--Belle Randall, poetry editor, Common Knowledge

Acknowledgments, xi Introduction, xiii from Abgelegene Gehofte / Remote Smallholdings (1948) Abgelegene Gehofte / Remote Smallholdings, 2 Pfannkuchenrezept / Recipe for Pancakes, 4 Camp 16 / Camp 16, 6 Inventur / Inventory, 8 Erster Januar / First of January, 12 from Botschaft en des Regens / Messages from the Rain (1955) Ende eines Sommers / End of Summer, 16 Gegenwart / Th e Present, 18 D-Zug Munchen-Frankfurt / Munich-Frankfurt Express, 22 Kleine Reparatur / Minor Repair, 24 Weg zum Bahnhof / Way to the Station, 26 Lemberg / Lvov, 28 Andenken / Memorial, 30 Wo ich wohne / Where I Live, 32 Reise / Journey, 34 Mittags um zwei / Two in the Aft ernoon, 36 Betrachtet die Fingerspitzen / Examine Your Fingertips, 38 Briefstelle / From a Letter, 40 Einsicht / Understanding, 42 Ende August / End of August, 44 from Zu den Akten / Ad Acta (1964) Alte Postkarten / Old Postcards, 48 Neue Postkarten / New Postcards, 52 Bericht aus einem Kurort / Report from a Spa, 56 Nachhut / Rearguard, 58 Rest / Remnant, 60 Alte Hollander / Old Dutch Masters, 62 Bruder Grimm / Brothers Grimm, 64 Zu spat fur Bescheidenheit / Too Late for Modesty, 66 Bestellung / Order, 68 Tragtasche / Holdall, 70 Ohne Unterschrift / Unsigned, 72 Jaques Devant, fur Viele / Jaques Devant, for the Many, 74 Aufgelassenes Zollamt / Old Customshouse, 76 Aussicht vom Spezial-Keller / Perspective from the Spezial-Keller, 78 Zunahme / Increase, 80 Auskunft e aus dem Nachlass / Tips from the Posthumous Papers, 82 Ungultige Landkarte / Fraudulent Map, 84 Topographie einer schoneren Welt / Topography of a Better World, 86 Fussnote zu Rom / Roman Footnote, 88 from Anlasse und Steingarten / Occasions and Rock Gardens (1966) Timetable / Timetable, 92 Berlin 1918 / Berlin, 1918, 94 Kinder-und Hausmarchen / Fairy Tales, 96 Rauchbier / Rauchbier, 98 Alte Postkarten / Old Postcards, 100 Neue Postkarten / New Postcards, 106 Weitgereist / Traveling Far, 110 Fortschritt / Progress, 112 Halb / Half, 114 Satzzeichen / Punctuation Marks, 116 Zwei / Two, 118 Bett huten / Confi ned to Bed, 120 Schluss eines Kriminalromans / Th e End of the Th riller, 122 Armer Sonntag / Poor Sunday, 124 Verspatung / Delayed, 126 Lange Gedichte / Long Poems, 128 Nach Seumes Papieren / From Seume's Papers (1972) Nordlicher Seufzer / Northern Sigh, 134 Stadtrand / Edge of Town, 136 Philologisch / Philological, 138 Nach dem Ende der Biographie / Aft er Setting Down the Biography, 140 Optik / Optics, 142 Namen / Names, 144 Steuererklarung / Tax Declaration, 146 Augsburg / Augsburg, 148 Nach Seumes Papieren / From Seume's Papers, 150 Spater / Later, 152 from Uncollected Poems and Poems from Radio Plays Der Regen in Eltville / The Rain in Eltville, 156 Plane / Plans, 158 Vorwinter / Early Winter, 160 Alter Dezember / Old December, 162 Nomaden / Nomads, 164 Freund und Horazleser / Friend and Reader of Horace, 166 aus: Traume / from: Dreams, 168 Handel / Handel, 180 Napoleon denkt an Josephine / Napoleon Remembers Josephine, 182 Lange Gedichte / Long Poems, 184 Die vorige Woche / Last Week, 186 Und / And, 188 Landgasthof / Rustic Hotel, 190 Klinikfarben / Hospital Colors, 192 Vom Gluck / Of Happiness, 194