Geoffrey Hill is a professor at Boston University, came over from
Cambridge some years back.
I find Canaan to be a determined and wrought thing. It frequently names
(Grantham, Moloch Aleksandr Blok) but we should not and do not expect
these to be elucidated. Hill's choice of a regular syntax combined with
earned obfuscations might be unpopular--either he tells us something in
plain language or he rejoices in not telling us a thing. If it is
difficult, I for one trust its difficulty. I am sure his interest in
religion is out of style--Hill has evidently had his Southwell and
Herbert to hand.
I like its selfishness. Is it embarassing that he takes himself
seriously? A little bit of the stuff:
from SCENES WITH HARLEQUINS
V
Even now one is amazed
by transience: how it
outlasts us all.
Motley of shadow
dabbles the earth,
the malachite-pocked
nymphs and sea gods, the pear tree's
motionless wooden leaves.
In this light, constrained spirit,
be a lord of your age.
Rejoice, let the strange
legends begin.
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