Collected Poems

Born in 1908, this serious and energetic British poet made her name in the Forties with ambitiously mystical verse much indebted to Dylan Thomas, William Blake and to South Asian religion. Since then, she has become known as a critic of Blake and of Yeats, and as the editor of her own Temenos Press. Now 92 years old, Raine (not to be confused with the better-known Craig Raine) has continued to publish one or two substantial volumes each decade, tirelessly devoted to more or less pantheistic or ecstatic mystical doctrines. Raine's early work and her late work, too can sound like a Blake pastiche, or like literal translations from the Sanskrit: ""The center of the mandala is possibility/ Of incarnation "" Nevertheless, her range and her craft expanded over the years. The '60s saw her take an interest in free verse and in natural landscapes, especially those of Italy and Scotland. On a Deserted Shore (1973) comprises 130 short numbered lyrics like this one: ""Since smoke rose from your pyre/ All clouds are dear; but how/ Among those vague bright forms/ Yours shall I know?"" These poems and others of the '70s and '80s come close to the mysticism of Yeats. While this book's inclusivity makes for off-putting repetition and far too many moments of bathos, Raine's work remains a sustained and honorable effort, and will certainly appeal to readers who seek seriousness of purpose in using poetry as a means of spiritual enlightenment. (Feb.)