I SING OF A MAIDEN

This compilation of the songs of Mary is a monumental work of piety, scholarship and of ""gathered praise."" As the author says in her forewood, (which is an excellent condensation of the history of Mariology, its roots in farthest antiquity, its full expression coming down to our modern day), ""Marian lyricism gathered momentum, simplification and startling beauty as it travelled down the years."" The great and the wise, the humble and eager, all lifted their voices. Sometimes it was in tender lullaby lyrics, or dialogue between the Small Son and his Moder Milde, or the exquisite plaints on the loss of her Son and the ever-recurring ""Joys"" of Mary. This song of praise issue again today in the poems of airmen and sailors; ""Mary, the Mother of God,"" ""Hope of the Half-Defeated"", ""Star of the Sea."" To the poet of every age this is an irresistable theme. Following the poems is a carefully gathered index of the authors with biographical data and descriptive matter on the liturgical and other special poems.