The Blood of the Poet: Selected Poems

Heir to Robinson Jeffers, linked to the Beats and to religious ascetics such as Eliot, Everson ( The Residual Years ) transforms autobiography into Christian mythology. From his earliest (pre-monastery) writings, Everson (aka Brother Antoninus) has equated forces in nature with the tension between man and woman. Once he enters the Church, the confrontation between God and man is more familiar, but the poet's graphic embodiment of the feminine (religious, not Jungian) is deep enough that he can state, ``My womb is awake,'' and plead for Divine entrance. Rhapsodically and oratorically, suffering leads to enlightenment. The craft of these long poems is superb, the language at once archaic and contemporary, with alliteration enhancing the meaning when read aloud. By comparison, the poems in the book's third section seem low-key. Though he has left the priesthood, Everson continues searching for God through Flesh. No longer disguised as holiness, lust takes human form; erotica invades the mundane. Gelpi's astute introduction is essential in helping readers situate the writing in the life. Published to honor Everson's 80th birthday, this is indeed a celebration. (Dec.)