SONG IN THE MEADOW

This volume of poems takes Elizabeth Madox Roberts back to her original medium, and one can only regret that she has neglected it so long. I found them delightful, with an elusive, fanciful touch rarely experienced. Throughout she shows a marked sense of rhythm, and an indigenous folk quality. The first group includes lyrics of Kentucky life, ballads and songs of rural life, with occasional love poems. The second group is more experimental; many, poems deal with the ""war witch"", the lean days, years of contemporary America. The third group has legends in rhyme, familiar and unfamiliar, and one remarkable piece of narrative virtuosity, Jack, the Giant Killer. A talented and distinctive collection. A rare treat in these days of mediocre verse.