The Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse

by Nicholson, D. H. S.; Lee, A. H. E.

• ISBN13: 9781889051024
• ISBN10: 1889051020
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-02-01
• Publisher: Acropolis Books Inc

Summary

Who can touch the hem of transcendence and hint of its splendor? Who can define the indescribable experiences of the solitary life on the mystical path? Who among us can portray the moment of communion with the Spirit? Who better than the mystical poet, "...to show that the torch of inner Light has been handed down from age to age until the present day, when as we believe, the world is near to a spiritual vitalization hitherto unimagined". The Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse is a collection of just such poetry. It is an anthology of spiritual and mystical verse in the English language from the 10th to the 20th century. The selections include the works of over 160 poets. First published by Oxford University Press in 1917 and reprinted numerous times, it has been out of print since 1969. This is the first American edition of the anthology. Joel Goldsmith, a monumental teacher of practical mysticism, sang its praises thusly, "You can very quickly read the mystics of the Occident, of the West, because they are all embodied in one book, The Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse. This contains the mysticism of the entire West, and in it you will discover that as you start with the mystics of the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries and come right up to the 20th century... that God is not only revealed as I Am, but that which we have called man is revealed as I Am". The poems contained in this book will be a welcome addition to the library of anyone interested in prose, poetry, metaphysics or mysticism. From simple references to the omnific nature of God to the ineffable experience of Omnipresence, the poets have captured the evasive and intangible essence of the mystical experience. Hereare the hints of Reality that eternally underlie all of life.