Poems from the Black Sea

ISBN: 0595132499

Author: Knight, Denis

Condition: New

From the Publisher Knights poetry flows with quiet descriptive lyrics as easily as the title poem "The Black Sea": "The sweet waters of Asia trickle out To slip by tiny falls and processes Down through the blazing lemon terraces Into the dark at last, the black and bottled sea." He writes succinctly about war in Europe, the countryside of southern France, Ireland, England, Vietnam, and Canada. By juxtaposing images of war with simple realities of daily living, the poet creates contrast? "under the bombs, I saw her comb her hair." His own reality seems to be a solid knowingness, a philosophy rooted in his own world that observes the chaos around him with a clear eye. The images are sometimes bittersweet, but pure with carefully chosen words. Knights pointed style of writing evokes European landscapes that are almost tangible. His words feel as if they are hewn down to the essence of their meanings. His verse is spare and meditative, as in "The Number 3 Bus": "Here Ireland looks at Wales, / Washes the same white shells." Even the horrifying story of "Odysseus, Lout" is poignant. In some of the countryside musings the writer realizes the great poets who walked there before him. The names of place are beguiling and inherent to the worlds he explores, such as Pheasant Copse, Hazel Land, and Ugber Beacon. The vignettes stop the moment and draw the reader, viscerally, to that place. There are sweet reveries where he shows us his lovely wife, Nora, who walks "untouched among the / Bees." These may be ordinary places, people, and moments, but Knight weaves them together with a gold thread, creating simple yet eternal truths, "Who sees the dark upstanding days like trees?" This poet obviously sees with a clarity that is timeless. Knights voice reflects a maturity and wisdom that cannot be taught. Here is an example of how exquisitely words can ring through a poet who keeps himself transparent as a vessel for the muse. This collection of poems should be on every poetry lovers shelf. Joli Bleu Copyright 2001 ForeWordreviews. Reproduced by permission. Product Description For more than thirty years, the poetry of Denis Knight has been praised by such figures as Bertrand Russell, Seamus Heaney and John Pilger. Now, this remarkable anthology brings together his best work, and spans a roaming life from his days as a WW2 soldier, through Canada and rural France, to his present home in the English countryside. About the Author Denis Knight was born in Volos, Greece, in 1921. Educated at St. Edmund's College and Christ's College, Cambridge. He served with the 44th Battalion, Royal Tank Regiment from 1942 to 1945. This was his most basic education. Married Nora Dalton, painter, in 1942. Five children, four boys, one girl. These, with his grandchildren, were his further education. Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. The Black Sea Today I come from Trebizond to sell As much as your imagination buys Of eucalyptus leaf and bark and smell. Under the broken water-jar remark The implacable scorpion sitting in the dark. Or watch him on the wall, part of the stone The lizard gently swallowing in the sun. Where clusters of the grape too high For Dounia's hands to reach Hang in luxury from the sky With pomegranate, peach A fountain glistens in four children's eyes - Fragments of rainbow memories - And in that Turkish summer, through rusted iron spout The sweet waters of Asia trickle out To slip by tiny falls and processes Down through the blazing lemon terraces Into the dark at last, the black and bottled sea.